POTKM Special Volume: Zangyack Attacks
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Captain Marvelous and his crew of space pirates arrive at Radiant Garden in time to help repel a Zangyack invastion. Yet there is far more going on than simple conquest. The insidious heir to the empire seeks to capture the Princesses of Heart and if she succeeds, then all of reality will fall to darkness. Who will survive?
1. Prolog: Evil Meets Evil

_Greetings fellow readers and writers! You are about to dive into the special volume of Path of the Keyblade Master and I hope you like it! Okay, this time Sora and the other Keyblade Wielders are taking a break while a slightly different story is told. At the end of Volume 6, we saw our heroes return to Radiant Garden to find the city devastated by an unknown catastrophe. Now we learn the truth of that horrific event from the viewpoint of a different group of heroes whom pay an unexpected visit to The Realms of Light. I'm talking about **Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger**, the 35__th__ Super Sentai and quite possibly the best. Don't get me wrong, I'll always like **Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters** and the current show, **Jyuden Sentai Kyoryuger**, but **Gokaiger** will always be first in my heart. Here we have a show that combines elements and characters from the history of the franchise of Super Sentai, creating what is, in my humble opinion, the best thing to ever happen to television. I'm sure the franchise will continue to thrill audiences around the world for decades to come, coming up with idea after awesome idea, but they broke the mold with **Gokaiger**._

_This story takes place during the three days between the 10__th__ chapter and epilog of Volume 6, filling in the gap, while in the **Gokaiger** timeline, it takes place after the final episode and **'Kamen Rider X Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen.'**_

_The idea for this fic came to me when I was at Disney World in April of 2012. I was at The Magic Kingdom and saw 'Dream Along With Mickey' at Cinderella's Castle. If you haven't seen the show, it's on YouTube so check it out. Anyway, the idea of so many Disney characters in one show inspired me, hence the origin of the Grand Conclave between all the heroes and Princesses in the Realms of Light. At the same time, I was still excited over the conclusion of **Gokaiger** and as luck would have it, the two fit together in my mind perfectly. So here we are, at long last._

_Like Volume 3: Keyblade Wielders vs. Super Sentai, I crossed several Super Sentai shows. This one will mostly involve **Gokaiger** but with special appearances of heroes from **Tensou Sentai Goseiger**, **Samurai Sentai Shinkenger**, **Engine Sentai Go-Onger**, **Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger** and **GoGo Sentai Boukenger**. There will also be a grand gathering of the many heroes and Princesses of Heart in the Kingdom Hearts meta-verse in both the original games and the characters I've added to my stories. Only my OC's are mine while I'm using everything else without permission from their respective owners so please don't sue me, I'm only trying to tell a good story._

_And now, without further delay, the story begins!_

**Prolog: Evil Meets Evil**

…**The Keyblade Graveyard…**

"Are we sure we're in the right place?" Dio Brando asked as he, Gaston, Lady Tremaine, Sephiroth, Regina, Insano, Maleficent and Xehanort, waited along the rusting remains of the final battle of the Keyblade War.

"This is where that messenger from Zangyack said we were to meet with Karlaz ," said Sephiroth.

"And we're still a little early," said Lady Tremaine, "five minutes to be exact."

"And five minutes before they're late," said Gaston in annoyed tone as he leaned against a nearby rock.

"Remind us why we're here?" Regina asked, glaring at Xehanort, "I seem to remember you clearly say on several occasions that you hate the Space Empire Zangyack."

"I remember as well," said Maleficent as she also looked at Xehanort, "you hated Akudos Gill."

"But Akudos Gill is dead," said Xehanort, "as is heir, Walz. But apparently the heir apparent sees to make my acquaintance."

"Just who is this Karlaz Gill?" Insano asked, "I have extensive files on Zangyak and the only mentions I've found on Karlaz was that she's a minor overseer in a flyspeck mining outpost on the far edge of the empire. There's not evidence that she's even related to Akudos."

"And how old are your files?" Xehanort asked.

"Ten years or so," said Insano.

"Or so?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I said my files were extensive, not accurate," said Insano.

"Well, it seems that little Karlaz has moved up in the empire over the last decade," said Xehanort.

"What should we expect from Karlaz?" Regina asked, "if she is indeed the heir to Zangyack, then what do you suppose she wants with us?"

"Who knows?" Xehanort asked as he placed his hands behind his back and began pacing, "Akudos was cold, calculating and utterly merciless, while Walz was hyperactive, irrational, paranoid and a clumsy fool. As to what kind of person Karlaz is, I believe we will learn soon enough."

Just then the assembled villains heard a distant engine sound above them that quickly swelled into a near-deafening roar. Maleficent and the others looked up and saw thousands of gray warships descending from space, the vessels comprising of a main hull with outrigger wings that had forward blaster cannons, and each ship stylized with the embalm of Space Empire Zangyack.

"Yes, it would seem that Karlaz has indeed moved up in the empire," said Xehanort.

One of the warships, a blue and indigo vessel several times larger than the others and who's outrigger cannons were stylized after manticores, while an emblem with a blue and indigo manticore against a green and white field was stylized in place of the emblem of the empire, hovered over the villainous cabal. From it launched a shuttle similar in design as the larger ship. The shuttle then landed outside the fields of rusted Keyblades.

"I suppose that is where we are to meet with her royal highness," said Sephiroth.

"Indeed," said Xehanort. With that he and the other villains headed towards the landed shuttle, which by now had opened a hatch and extended an exit ramp. From there emerged a woman with medium skin tone and wearing a blue and indigo uniform, boots and gloves. She was tall, well muscled and moved with a liquid grace. Her eyes were dark lavender and her face was highly beautiful, yet underneath that beauty was a heart empty of all compassion and pity. She had waist-length indigo hair tied into a single braid set with a sapphire jewel piece. Belted to her waist was a long sword in a dark blue scabbard, the hilt of the blade was silver-plated and set with blood rubies.

She was flanked by dozens of gray humanoid robots with large, flat-topped heads armed with short gray pole arms that doubled as blasters. Also there were four of the blue, spiked blaster robots that were with the currier.

There was also five different humanoid aliens. The first was over seven feet tall and heavily muscled, with orange and gray skin and wearing dark orange armor and a helmet stylized after a tiger. His gauntlets had retractable claws and he carried a large sword that had a seriated edge.

The second alien was a reptilian female, about 5'3" with green and teal scaled skin, light blue hair and yellow eyes. She wore a blue and green form fitting uniform and had two blasters holstered at her waist.

The third alien was a humanoid female with gray and umber skin and long dark green hair in dreadlocks and dark green eyes. She had four arms that had two opposing thumbs each. Her uniform was red and black with a sword harness with four katanas on her back.

The fourth was the most human-like but with cybernetic implants throughout his body, specifically the upper left quarter of his head. He had short brown hair and one blue eye, the other was an artificial eye that glowed red. His skin was pale and he wore a gray and brown business suit and tie.

The fifth alien was insect-like with attributes of a praying mantis, wearing a green and white uniform and wore a bright red visor over its large eyes. Around its neck was a large metal collar with blinking, multi-colored lights.

"Master Xehanort," said the tall woman with the jeweled sword, "I thank you for coming. I am Karlaz Gill."

"I must admit," said Xehanort, "I wouldn't have taken you for the fruit of Akudos' loins."

"I may have avoided my father's looks," said Karlaz Gill, "but I inherited so much more."

"Like what?" Gaston asked.

"Silence, human dog!" shouted the alien in the tiger-like armor, "how dare you speak that way to the heir to the empire! Prostrate yourself before her royal personage and beg for forgiveness!"

"Easy, Vokarn," said Karlaz as she raised a gloved hand in a placating gesture, "he knows not what he speaks of. None of our new friends are aware of whom they are addressing." She then looked at Xehanort and the other villains, "but that will soon change. Permit me to introduce my entourage," she indicated the tall alien in the tiger-like armor, "General Vokarn, my supreme military commander."

"I am sworn to serve her royal highness," said Vokarn. He then stood at attention and gave an elaborate salute, "Long live Zangyack!" At that the many robots around them gave the same salute, with the gray robots shouting _'Gor!'_ and the blue robots shouting_ 'Sugor!'_

"Next," said Karlaz, "is Uad'kexk," she indicated the reptilian female, "intelligence officer."

"And quite the assassin," said Uad'kexk, "with over three hundred confirmed kills."

"Not too shabby," said Dio Brando.

"A spy and assassin by any other name," Lady Tremaine muttered, while Gaston nodded in agreement.

"Next, my technical advisor, Professor Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo," said Karlaz as she indicated the insect-like alien.

The praying mantis-like alien bowed, while the metal collar round its neck beeped and a synthesized voice spoke from it, _"and soon to be the greatest scientific mind in the empire."_

"I'll be the judge of that," said Insano.

The collar around the neck of Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo beeped and spoke, _"ah, yes, Doctor Insano. I look forward to matching wits with you."_

"Be warned, insect," said the goggled lunatic, "those who dare to match wits with the demonic intellect of Doctor Insano do so at their own risk."

_"I look forward to that,"_ said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"Moving on," said Karlaz as she indicated the humanoid female with four arms, "is Janicia Pzaomsiko, my personal bodyguard."

"Any of you sons of bitches even think of _touching _Lady Karlaz has to go through me first!" shouted Janicia Pzaomsiko, as her upper arms drew two swords from her back, "you come within arms reach without my lady's permission, I'll cut you up, real nice!"

"As you can see," said Karlaz as the four-armed alien sheathed her katanas, "she's very protective of me."

"You wield those blades as if you were born to them," said Sephiroth.

"And your sword is way too big," said Janicia, "compensating for something?"

"Perhaps is to draw attention from his single wing," said the cyborg in the business suit, "regardless, he certainly is one to stand out."

"And lastly," said Karlaz as she indicated the cyborg, "Huvnario Yr, my majordomo and most trusted advisor." At that Huvnario Yr bowed to Maleficent and the others.

"I already know who your companions are, Master Xehanort," said Karlaz, "Tremaine, Gaston, Dio Brando, Insano, Sephiroth, the former Evil Queen, and lastly the mistress of all evil herself, Maleficent."

"You are well informed," said Maleficent, "yet we are, most regrettably, in the dark as to who you truly are."

"Fools!" shouted Vokarn, "this is Her Royal Highness, Karlaz Gill, heir to the throne of Zangyack! That is all you need to know!"

"At ease, General!" said Karlaz sternly, "we do not need to antagonize our new friends before we can cement an alliance."

"I…I apologize, Highness," said Vokar in a submissive tone, "I exceeded my place."

"And I do wish you wouldn't call me Highness," said Karlaz in a more compassionate tone, "not yet anyway."

"What are you implying?" Lady Tremaine asked, "are you not the scion of Akudos Gill?"

"More or less," said Karlaz, "a genetic scan would prove that I am the daughter of Akudos Gill, but my mother was one of his many concubines. I'm a bastard, plain and simple, one of many whom the old fraker spawned."

"You have brothers and sisters?" Regina asked.

"There were twenty nine of us bastards, including myself" said Karlaz, "with dear brother Walz as the 30th fruit of father's loins. While Walz was groomed to succeed Akudos, the rest of us lived pampered, spoiled lives in the palace, at least until we each turned 13. We were then 'apprenticed' to various occupations in the empire. Some went into administrative positions, others took business jobs and some went into the military, myself included. I was a rare exception among my many half-siblings, possessing a higher intelligence and physical prowess, while the others were either too fat, too lazy or too stupid to amount to anything worthwhile.

"A handful of my siblings showed a spark of promise, a glimmer of genius or strength that could allow them to rise to greatness. Needless to say, my father had these potential rising stars snuffed out in various 'unfortunate accidents.' I was wise enough to feign mediocrity and upon graduating from my military academy, in the middle of my class of course, I was assigned to a quiet, out of the way post on Micandrao IV, from where I could plan my rise to glory without risk of detection. That's where I met my loyal retainers and we began planning my ascension to the throne.

"The years went by as we subtly worked; securing funds in secret bank accounts and off the book financial holdings, forging alliances with nobles, businessmen and warlords, securing support for the eventual day when I would challenge and defeat Walz, taking my rightful place as Akudos' heir. Another year, three at the most and I would have been ready.

"However, even the best of plans are subject to unpredictable events. I was forced to accelerate my plans when I heard that Walz was dead, murdered by those filthy space pirates whom had become such a thorn in the side of the empire. My remaining half-brothers and sisters had the gall to declare themselves as Akudos' heirs when half of them had no idea how to run the empire, let alone how to secure the throne. Some of them had enough intelligence to kill their rivals, which lead to a bloodbath. I am the last of Akudos' children and his true heir. There is, however, my cousin Baccus, but he's a drunkard and is no threat, yet.

"As I scrambled to pull my resources together and journey to Earth where my father had assumed command of the invasion forces, I knew that my chances of convincing Akudos of accepting me as his heir were rather slim. Love was never a factor; Akduos had no love for any of his children, not even Walz. I doubt there was ever a scrap of love in the old monster's black heart.

"Still, I was his last scion and if I played my cards right, he would name me his successor. I had to wait for the right moment of course; Akudos was consumed with destroying the pirate scum whom had dared to defy the empire and either add Earth to the fold, or destroy it, whichever was easiest.

"But just when I was ready to go to my father and stand by his side at the final victory, my plans were all but ruined. Those disgusting space pirates, they murdered my father! Everything I had been working for had been rendered null and void, and it's all the fault of that wretched Captain Marvelous and his scum of a crew!"

"You sound as if you miss your father," Sephiroth.

"I hated the old monster," said Karlaz coldly, "but I respected and obeyed him, just as any true citizen of the empire should. To continue, to say that Akudos' death shook the empire would be an understatement. It was chaos as supposedly pacified worlds rose up in rebellion and revolution; vital trade routes were blocked, manufacturing facilities were destroyed, credit records and accounts were erased from banks and worse of all, noble families and warlords turned against each other.

"I won't lie and say that the empire was built on friendship and mutual cooperation. Nearly all of the gentry obeyed Akudos out of fear, the same goes for the military. With my father's death, Zangyack fractured as noble houses and warlords vied for supremacy, attacking and destroying each other in an attempt to carve out their own spheres of influence. My dreams of ruling the empire were disintegrating before my eyes."

"And yet you come before us, declaring yourself to be the heir apparent," said Maleficent.

"I am the heir apparent," said Karlaz, "but I've yet the means to truly back up my bid for the throne. But with your help, that will change, if I have your attention, that is."

"You have it," said Xehanort.

"I may have the blood of Akudos Gill in my veins," said Karlaz, "and have secured the support of dozens of nobles and warlords, I have an armada of warships and an army of minions ready to fight and die for me. But remember, the empire is vast, spanning millions of worlds across entire galaxies. I might be able to gain further support through bribes, intimidation, blackmail and if necessary, open combat, but in the end the thousands of factions cropping up would eventually overwhelm my forces and I'd be destroyed."

"Just how large are your forces?" Regina asked.

Karlaz then raised her arms to indicate the many warships in the air, and then pointed straight up as if to say there were more, "I brought ten-thousand warships with me into The Realms of Light, each ship containing a full crew of Gormin and Sugormin soldiers, as well as several Action Commanders. I also have another ten thousand warships and supportive ground forces back in my native universe, all of them sworn to obey my every command, as well as an additional thirty-five thousand warships from the personal armadas of the nobles and warlords pledged to my cause."

"Impressive," said Xehanort.

"Not me," said Gaston stubbornly, "I don't see anything about you that'll make you empress of anything!"

"You insolent _petaQ_!" shouted Uad'kexk as she drew her blasters, while Vokarn unsheathed his oversized sword.

"Hold!" said Karlaz, "it's clear that this boy wishes to challenge me."

"He will regret it!" said Janicia as she drew her swords, "Lady Karlaz, permit me the honor of putting this infidelin his place."

"Put your swords away, dear Janicia," Karlaz insisted, "how can I ascend the throne of Zangyack if I am unable to face my own challengers?" she then stepped forward and looked at Gaston, "you wish to know if I have what it takes of ruling the empire? Very well," she then assumed a fighting stance with one hand over the hilt of her sword and the other steadying the sheath, "let's see if you have what it takes to defeat me!"

"You'll be sorry you agreed to this fight," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles.

"I wouldn't do that, my friend," said Insano.

"I'm not your friend!" snapped Gaston. He then aimed his hands at Karlaz and fired his destruction beams at her. Karlaz seemed to vanish just as the beams were about to hit her. The beams went on and vaporized the ground where she was standing.

Gaston then grunted in pain and looked down, seeing Karlaz's sword sticking out his stomach from behind.

"You're as slow as you are stupid," said Karlaz as she stood behind Gaston. She then kicked him off of her sword. He landed hard on the ground, grunting in pain as his stomach bleed more.

In a flash, Karlaz vanished again and before anyone could react, appeared in front of Lady Tremaine and sliced off her left arm at the elbow. The former stepmother of Cinderella cried out in agony and fell to her knees, clutching at her bleeding stump of an arm.

"That was uncalled for," said a startled and impressed Maleficent, "she did not insult you."

"True," said Karlaz as she flicked the blood off of her sword and sheathed it, "yet no harm has been done do your minions, other than to teach them a lesson in respect."

Before everyone's eyes, Gaston's stomach wound closed up, while Lady Tremaine's arm regenerated, while the severed part rapidly decomposed and was nothing more than dust within seconds. Gaston and Lady Tremaine both glared hatefully at Karlaz, but remained silent.

"Yes, we learned that you are indeed worthy of leading the empire," said Xehanort.

"There's the understatement of the decade," said an eager Dio Brando, "with skills like that, you ought to run for 'Supreme Overlord of Time and Space.'"

"I would if the job was offered," said Karlaz, "yet my skills will amount to nothing without the support of at least the majority of the factions. There are many nobles and warlords whom would pledge themselves to me, if I were to prove myself worthy to rule the empire."

"But you are the last heir of Akudos Gill," said Lady Tremaine, "despite being a bastard. Other kingdoms and empires have been ruled by bastards."

"Having his blood isn't enough!" exclaimed Karlaz, "I thought I had made that clear! I've yet to partake and win a major military campaign; I haven't conquered or destroyed a world or anything that would give myself the foundation to convince the factions that I am the right one to rule the empire."

"But if you were to have that foundation," said Maleficent, "if you had that victory…"

"Then the factions would support my bid for the throne and I would be empress of Zangyack," said Karlaz.

"Well, I doubt you'll find a major military victory here," said Dio Brando as he indicated the expanse of rusted Keyblades, "unless you've a time machine so you can go back and win The Keyblade War."

"My victory will take place in the not too distant future," said Karlaz as she smiled viciously, "I'm going to conquer Radiant Garden."

"Now you have my interest," said Xehanort, "and curiosity. What is there on Radiant Garden that would make it a target?"

"Aside from a bunch of miserable peasants and foolish heroes," said Lady Tremaine, "there's nothing there but one flyspeck of a city and crystal wastes."

_"Crystals that generate oxygen,"_ said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, _"not to mention other untapped resources; gold, silver, iron, oil and other metals vital to the construction of starships. Once you get past the oxygen crystals, then you've hit the proverbial jackpot."_

"Why was I unaware of these untapped resources?" Insano demanded.

_"What you are unaware of would fill volumes,"_ said the insect scientist.

"Did you honestly believe that we would come here without first assessing the situation?" Uad'kexk asked.

"We've had operatives working in deep cover across The Realms of Light for some time now," said Huvnario Yr, "though each world in this universe is an economically viable conquest with exploitable resources, Lady Karlaz has eyes only for Radiant Garden."

"You've got a bombshell just waiting to drop on us, don't you," said Dio Brando.

"Indeed I do," said Karlaz, "let me ask you a question or two; when was the last time you've been able to get a clear image of Radiant Garden on your Interocitor?"

"How do you know about the Interocitor?" Lady Tremaine demanded.

"And how do you know we've been getting mostly static from Radiant Garden?" Gaston asked.

"I have my sources," said Karlaz, "and I assume you've been in the dark about that world since Sora and his companions left for Hogwarts."

"How do you know about Sora and The Keyblade Wielders?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"And Hogwarts?" Gaston asked, "how do you know about that?"

"I know a lot," said Karlaz, "now, I fully understand the threat of The Keyblade Wielders, but my sources say they are not due to return to The Realms of Light for at least three more days, which is one of two time factors for this campaign."

"What's the other factor?" Dio Brando asked.

"The other factor is the most important one," said Karlaz, "a factor that, without which, this entire campaign would be meaningless. As we speak, King Mickey has gathered nearly all the heroes and Princesses of Heart from not only The Realms of Light, but other realms as well."

"What!?" exclaimed Maleficent.

"They've begun their little Grand Conclave by now," said Karlaz, "and they're discussing how to deal with you, Maleficent, and Master Xehanort. My sources tell me that Master Yen Sid and Ansem the Wise may have discovered the means of fully repelling The Heartless from the worlds and to disrupt Dark Corridor transport."

"Impossible!" exclaimed an outraged Maleficent, "only The Cornerstone of Light can fully repel Heartless incursions and nothing can stop a Dark Corridor!"

"I'm just relaying what my sources tell me," said Karlaz, "hate the message, not the messenger."

"So, you wish to invade Radiant Garden to disrupt the Grand Conclave?" Sephiroth asked, "I admit that all those heroes and Princesses in one place make a highly tempting target. Yet I cannot help but think there is more to this."

"There is," said Karlaz, "six of the seven Princesses of Heart native to this universe are at the meeting, as well as five of the second group."

"Assassinating them would be a serious blow to the forces of light," said Regina, "not to mention all of those pathetic heroes."

"Imagine the suffering Sora will experience when he learns that so many of his friends and allies have been utterly destroyed," said a viciously smiling Lady Tremaine.

"I'll deal with Sora and his companions if and when I get the chance to do so," said Karlaz, "but this isn't about making him suffer, and I'm not going to kill those eleven Princesses, especially not Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine and Alice."

"You're not?" Gaston asked, "then what?"

"Oh, I'm going to do something worse than simply execute them," said Karlaz as she smiled with wicked eagerness, "believe me, they'll wish they were dead after I'm done with them."

"Sounds juicy," said Dio Brando, "so what are you going to do to them?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Karlaz. She then frowned, "assuming the sixth member of my inner circle ever shows up! Where is that pompous, flamboyant, foppish son of a bitch?!"

"He said he had to visit a music instrument repairman," said Huvnario Yr, "he'll be here as soon as he can."

"He'd better," said Karlaz irately, "it cost me more than I wished to secure his services. He had better learn to obey or he will learn what I do to those whom are weak," she then smiled at Maleficent and Xehanort, "now, am I correct as to assume that you are wondering why you should even consider allying with little old me."

"Indeed," said Xehanort, while Maleficent nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, what's in it for us?" Dio Brando asked.

"Profit, for one thing," said Huvnario Yr, "at least 50% of all financial gains from the strip mining of Radiant Garden."

"And revenge on the fools whom stood against you for so long," said General Vokarn.

"We can keep them alive for your tormenting pleasures," said Uad'kexk, "or we can kill them for you. I'm good either way."

_"And an exchange of knowledge and technology,"_ said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"And our alliance would give you an overwhelming advantage against The Keyblade Wielders," said Karlaz, "just think; the resources of an empire spanning entire galaxies at your disposal. Sora and his comrades wouldn't stand a whelk's chance in a supernova."

"What does a whelk have to do with a supernova?" Sephiroth asked.

"It doesn't stand a chance in one, duh!" said Insano, "I don't know about the rest of you, but this seems like a good deal to me."

_"I look forward to our collaboration,"_ said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"Yes, our combined intellects shall spread the darkness far and wide!" exclaimed Insano. He then pointed up with his hand, "with SCIENCE!" he then laughed like the lunatic he was.

"I too see the benefits of this alliance," said Regina. She then looked at Sephiroth, whom nodded.

"So long as I get a chance to spill some innocent blood, I'm in," said Dio Brando.

"Count us in," said Gaston, while Lady Tremaine nodded.

"I'll need a moment to muddle this over," said Xehanort.

"I too wish to contemplate," said Maleficent.

"Take your time but not too much," said Karlaz, "the longer we delay, the smaller our window of opportunity gets."

Regina then spoke to Gaston and Lady Tremaine while Xehanort and Maleficent were deep in thought, "this may very well be our chance," said the former evil queen.

"To off Maleficent and Xehanort?" Gaston asked, "maybe."

"But how can we trust these aliens?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"We don't," said Regina, "but we can make use of them. If Karlaz and her forces can provide a situation where Maleficent and Xehanort are vulnerable enough for us to destroy, then we'll take that chance. And if we can eliminate a few of our other enemies, then all the better for us."

"Yeah, but what's to stop Karlaz from turning on us after she's smashed Radiant Garden?" Gaston asked.

"It's a risk we'll have to take," said Regina, "we'll just have to keep our senses sharp and vigilant."

Xehanort and Maleficent then faced Karlaz again, "we've reached a decision."

"But I have one more question to ask before we give you our answer," said Maleficent, "what of the space pirates whom murdered your father and brother?"

"What is to stop them from meddling this campaign?" Xehanort asked, "if they're as tenacious as rumor says, then they could prove to be most problematic."

"They are a pain in the ass," said Karlaz, "but you've nothing to fear from Captain Marvelous and his crew. I know exactly where they are. They've left Earth in search of the Zangyack home world so they can loot it's vast treasure houses. Trust me, they'll never even get close."

"And how did you manage that?" Xehanort asked.

"Because I know the driving force of the empire," said Karlaz, "greed. My sources informed me of where the space pirates are, but rather than dedicate any of my forces and risk their annihilation, I manipulated one of the rival factions into going after them. No doubt the pirates will make mincemeat out of this minor faction, but then more and more nobles and warlords will send their forces after Captain Marvelous and his crew.

"By the time I'm ready to return to the empire and claim the throne, enough of my rivals will have been destroyed and the pirate scum will be weakened enough for my forces to finish them off. Captain Marvelous and the Gokaigers will die by my hand. It will the ultimate proof of my worthiness to claim the throne and be the empress of Zangyack!"

"Then let us begin the campaign," said Maleficent.

"Together, we shall conquer Radiant Garden and crush anyone or anything that stands in our way!" said Xehanort.


	2. Chapter 1: Unexpected Detour

_Following their victory over The Space Empire Zangyack, Captain Marvelous and his intrepid band of space pirates, bade farewell to their adopted home world of Earth. Raising their flag in defiance of the forces of darkness, they have set out into deep space in search of new adventures! They are…!_

_**Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger**_

**In**

**Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master**

**Special Volume: Zangyack Attacks**

**By AndrewK9000**

**Chapter 1: Unexpected Detour**

Hundreds of light-years from Earth lay a star slightly smaller and cooler than The Sun. Three planets and an asteroid belt orbited the star and within that asteroid belt lay a most unique starship. It was stylized after an old Earth sailing vessel. She was a three-mast galleon with a red hull and sails, a gold color keel and a sword-like figure piece at the bow. The stern had quad-engine struts and the mainsail had a skull and crossbones shaped like cutlasses, as well as a matching skull and crossbones on a black flag atop the mainmast. This ship was Gokai Galleon, home of the Gokaigers.

Currently, Captain Marvelous and his crew, consisting of Joe Gibken, Luka Milfly, Don 'Doc' Doggler, Ahim de Famille, Ikari Gai and the robot parrot Navi, were in the engine room of Gokai Galleon, a chamber of machinery and circuitry that provided power for the entire ship.

"I've rarely been to this part of the ship before," said Gai in an eager tone as he looked around in amazement at the engine workings, "it's so cool here!"

"And warm," said a slightly uncomfortable Luka, "you'd think that the captain would have had air conditioning installed in here."

"Marvelous-san didn't really build Gokai Galleon," said Ahim, "still, it would have been prudent to keep the engine room cool."

"The engine has its own cooling system," said Joe, "but I wouldn't know if it's normally warm here or not. Doc's the only one of us who regularly comes down here to check on the engines. I can't even remember the last time we had this serious a problem."

"We've never been lost in space before," said Luka.

"We're not lost!" said Captain Marvelous, "we know exactly where we are," he then looked at Navi, "don't we, bird?"

"We're in the asteroid belt of star system Erandi Lambada 72," said Navi, "and don't call me that!"

"Alright, we're not exactly lost," said Luka, "but we're still stuck in the middle of nowhere," she then looked at the mass of machinery and circuitry, "speaking of which, how's it going, Doc?"

"I'll tell you as soon as I figure out the problem," said Doc, whom was hidden from view by the engine, "the source of an engine failure isn't always easy to pin down you know."

"At least we're not out of gas," said Gai, "we did check that, right?"

"We've got enough fuel to get us through three galaxies before we need to buy more," said Joe, "it's a mechanical problem."

"It's times like this that I wish I knew more about starship engineering," said Ahim, "Doc-san shouldn't have to fix the engines himself."

"He knows more about this ship than the rest of us put together," said Luka

"Okay," said Doc as he walked out into view of his friends, "I've got bad news, worse news and terrible news."

"Isn't there any good news?" Joe asked.

"We're not going to die," said Doc, "not from lack of life support, but we're not going anywhere any time soon."

"I'll take the terrible news first," said Captain Marvelous.

"The Relativity Condenser is completely fried," said Doc. At that Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka and Ahim all winced.

"What's fried?" Gai asked, "sounds serious."

"It's very serious," said Joe, "that part, the Relativity Condenser, it's what allows Gokai Galleon to go faster than light."

"Without it, we can't use the FTL drive," said Luka.

"And without the FTL drive…" said Ahim.

"We're stuck," said Captain Marvelous. He then looked at Doc, "so, can it be fixed?"

"Yes and no," said Doc, "I can try and jury-rig a patch on the circuitry in the Relativity Condenser and it might hold for a while, but we need to replace it if we want to keep going."

"And we need to put in for repairs in order to replace it," said Joe, "and we're nowhere near a repair station or space dock."

"We can still maneuver and fight," said Luka, "but without FTL Drive…"

"It'll take us a long, long time to get anywhere," said Doc.

"Okay, that's the terrible news," said Captain Marvelous, "what's the worse and bad news?"

"The worse news," said Doc, "the Fluid Link burst a seam. I got it patched, but we're almost out of mercury."

"What's the Fluid Link do?" Gai asked.

"An essential part for the ship's power plant," said Doc, "it uses mercury and without it, we wouldn't have any power at all. I stopped the leak but there's no telling how long the patch will hold, and I used up nearly all our reserves of Mercury to refill the Fluid Link. If the part leaks again, we'd be out of power."

"What can we do about it?" Ahim asked.

"Put in to port so I can properly repair the Fluid Link and restock our supplies of mercury," said Doc.

"And what's the bad news?" Luka asked.

"The primary stabilizer gyro was cracked," said Gai, "it's essential for keeping the main bridge stable when Gokai Galleon transforms into Gokai-Oh. Without it we'd be completely shaken about every time we move."

"And that's the least bad news?" Joe asked.

"If we run into any Zangyack zooks and have to fight," said Luka, "then we'd be real trouble."

"We're already in real trouble," said Ahim, "let me guess, we need to put in to port to fix the stabilizer gyro."

"Yes," said Doc, "I'm sorry, everyone. I'll do my best but we really need a proper repair facility."

"How long until we can get under way?" Captain Marvelous.

"A day, maybe two to get things patched up," said Doc.

"Make it twelve hours or less," said Captain Marvelous.

"You got it, Marvelous," said Doc. With that he went back to work at the engines.

"What now?" Gai asked as he, Ahim, Luka, Joe, Navi and Captain Marvelous left the engine room and went upstairs to the crew deck.

"We wait and hope Doc hasn't lost his magic touch," said Luka as they reached the crew deck. Luka sat on the couch and pulled out a deck of cards, while Ahim sat in a chair with a magazine with Navi on her shoulder, Joe began a set of pushups and Captain Marvelous started a game of darts.

"Don't worry, Gai-san," said Ahim, "we've got plenty of air, water and the kitchen's mostly full."

"It'd be fully full if some of us wouldn't stuff themselves like Tarkalian Swine every meal," said Joe as he continued his pushups. "And if they wouldn't have midnight snacks."

"Hey, I get the munchies sometimes after stargazing," said Luka, "counting shooting stars keeps your eyes sharp, but it works up an appetite."

"But we're in space, no shooting stars," said Gai, "what do you count at night?"

"Gama-ray bursts," said Luka as she began dealing out a game of Solitaire, "They're much harder to spot with the naked eye, but they're out there."

"I thought Gamy-ray Bursts were invisible," said Gai as he sat at the table.

"Not to these eyes," said a smiling Luka.

Just then the main display screen on the wall began flashing with red WARNING windows.

"Now what?" Joe asked as he got up from the floor and went over to the screen.

"What's broken now, Doc?" Captain Marvelous asked into the ship's intercom.

"Nothing else, Marvelous!" said Doc from the engine room, "in fact, I'll have the Relativity Condenser patched up in less than an hour."

"Then what's all the racket this time?" Luka asked as she, Ahim, Navi and Gai stood up and stood next to Joe at the computer screen, which was no showing a red icon shaped like Gokai Galleon against a star field. Around the ship were blue and green blobs that started out small, just a few pixels wide and tall, but then more and more appeared, clustering together and growing bigger.

"The ship sensors are detecting anomalous readings all around us," said Joe, "range, five-thousand kilometers."

"Anomalous readings?" Gai asked, "what does that mean?'

"It means the computer doesn't know what's surrounding us," said Luka.

"Energy readings unknown! Energy readings unknown!" said Navi.

"Oh stop squawking and figure it out, bird!" said Captain Marvelous.

Joe typed in a command into the computer and a window showing space outside the ship appeared, but the new window revealed nothing but the stars and asteroids.

"Could it be something in the asteroid belt?" Gai asked, "radiation or something like that?"

"No, the sensors would have picked up any radiation as soon as we got here," said Joe as he looked at the data screen, "wait…I think I've seen this before somewhere."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Luka, "what is it?"

"I could be wrong," said Joe in a serious tone, "but I think we're in the middle of a Zangyack trap!"

"Zangyack!?" exclaimed Gai, Luka and Ahim.

"Figures," said Captain Marvelous in a nonchalant tone.

"What's that about Zangyack?" Doc called over the intercom.

"Nothing, just a trap we're going to get ourselves out," said Captain Marvelous, "just finish fixing the engines."

"I'm working on it!" said Doc.

"Either way, we can't just sit around and let those Zangyack creeps trap us," said Joe.

"How do you know it's Zangyack?" Luka asked, "for all we know it could be just radiation."

"It is, but not natural radiation," said Joe, "when I was still a member of the Imperial Special Forces, I caught a glimpse of some classified data. An enormous amount of money was diverted to one of Insarm's pet projects. But then the funding was diverted to other projects when Insarm was assigned to Walz Gill as his Development Technical Officer, while her project was mothballed. The project was a cloaking device that can render an entire armada invisible."

"Looks like someone took Insarm's project out of storage and dusted it off," said Captain Marvelous.

"And these energy readings are coming from a cloaked Zangyack war fleet?" Luka asked.

"Insarm never finished the cloaking device," said Joe, "the radiation is a side effect that she was working on eliminating but never got the chance."

"Well, what are they waiting for?" Gai asked as he waved his hand at the data display, "they've got us right where they want us, so what's the hold up?"

"As much as I hate to, I agree," said Ahim, "they clearly have the advantage, so why don't they attack?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Luka asked as she smiled eagerly, "they're scared of us."

"And with good reason," said Captain Marvelous, "we killed their emperor and wiped out a lot of their comrades. They're not going to start shooting unless they're absolutely sure they can take us out with the first blow."

"A one-punch knockout," said Joe, "definitely Zangyack's style."

"And if they can't knock us out at first," said Gai.

"We smash them in retaliation," said Captain Marvelous, "now," he then entered a command into the computer that brought up a display of the ship's weapon systems, "one way to get out of a trap is to spring it before it's ready. Let's see if those new spatial torpedoes we picked up at Raxacoricofallapatorius were worth what we paid."

"They'd better be worth it," said an annoyed Luka, "those crystal and gold figurines you bartered for the torpedoes and launcher system were worth over fifty million Zagin."

"Oh give it a rest," said Joe, "they'll be so much loot on the Zangyack homeworld, you'll need your own starship to haul your share away."

"I'll have to remember to pick out a name for my new ship," said Luka.

"Target the missile for the highest radiation reading," said Joe, "that'll be the ship with the cloaking device."

"And if we're lucky, it'll be the enemy command ship," said Luka.

"Locking on," said Captain Marvelous as he entered a command into the computer. A targeting outline centered on the strongest radiation reading. The targeting outline then flashed from red to green, while a blue 'FIRE' button began blinking, awaiting the order to launch, "locked and ready. Gai, get up here and press the firing button!"

"You want me to fire the torpedo?" Gai asked. He then laughed eagerly, "this is going to be so awesome!" he then rushed to the computer screen and pressed the 'FIRE' button.

Outside in space, a small door opened on the starboard bow of Gokai Galleon and from it shot a long, gray torpedo. The space projectile's engine ignited and flew straight forward and after traveling for five-thousand kilometers, where it detonated with a bright blue flash. In an instant, space around Gokai Galleon shimmered and revealed thousands upon thousands of Zangyack warships.

"Well, there they are," said Captain Marvelous as an outside display showed the enemy ships, "enough to keep us from getting bored for a while."

"Are we going to get into a fight?" Doc asked over the intercom.

"Just get the FTL ready in case we need to make a quick getaway," said Captain Marvelous, "we'll handle the rest."

"They're just sitting there," said Ahim as she and the others looked at the data screen, "we can see them now, but they're still doing nothing."

"They didn't expect us to take down their cloak," said Joe.

"We'll, I'm not one to ignore a golden opportunity when I see it," said Luka.

"Neither am I," said Captain Marvelous, "let's give them both torpedo tubes plus a full barrage of cannon and lasers."

But before the captain could enter any further commands, a red 'WARNING' window appeared on the screen and a loud klaxon sounded off through the ship.

"Now what?" Luka asked.

"Warning! Warning!" shouted Navi, "our shields are down! Our shields are down!"

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Ahim and Gai, while Doc also shouted from the engine room.

"How did our shields drop!?" Luka demand, "why did they drop!?"

Joe then furiously typed at the computer, then slammed his fist against the screen in frustration, "there's been a short in the shield generator matrix. I think…yes, the torpedo launch caused the short!"

"How'd that happen?" Gai asked.

"I don't know," said Captain Marvelous, "but if we ever go back to Raxacoricofallapatorius, I'm going to skin a few Slitheen."

"You bought the torpedoes from the Slitheen!?" Doc asked in a shocked and outraged tone.

"Marvelous-san," said an annoyed Ahim, "the entire Slitheen family has been branded as traitors to Raxacoricofallapatrous. They all have the death sentence on their heads."

"No wonder we got a bum deal," said Joe.

"Uh, everyone?" Gai asked as he looked at the display showing the enemy ships, "I think they've decided what to do now."

Indeed, the Zangyack war fleet was closing in to attack.

"What do we do?!" Gai asked franticly, "our shields are down!"

"We can still fight!" said Captain Marvelous.

Just then more 'WARNING' windows popped up on the screen.

"Uh, captain…all of our weapons also shorted out," said Luka.

"Okay, now we're in trouble," said Gai.

"Trouble! Trouble!" shouted Navi.

"We're not dead yet!" said Captain Marvelous, "Doc, we need FTL now!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, captain!" shouted Doc, "twenty minutes is the best I can give you. I'm sorry!"

"They'll be in firing range in less than three minutes!" said Luka.

"If we can't blast them or run away, we can still dodge them," said Captain Marvelous, "Ahim, Gai, Navi, get up to the bridge and get us moving. Joe, Luka, we're going down to the engine to help Doc get the FTL working! Let's go, people!"

"Aye, Captain!" shouted everyone.

A few seconds later found Ahim, Gai and Navi up at the bridge, manning the big wheel that steered Gokai Galleon, while around the wheel were several data screens showing navigation info, engine and life support status and other systems essential to running the ship.

"You sure you know how to drive this thing?" Gai asked as he and Navi stood in front of the data screens, while Ahim took the wheel.

"I've watched Marvelous-san and the others long enough," said Ahim, "I think I know what to do."

Just then a 'WARNING' window flashed on a screen designated for tactical data, "thirty seconds until enemy is in firing range!" shouted Navi.

"We're surrounded all around," said Ahim, "which way do we go?"

"If we can't go forward, back, left or right," said Gai, "that leaves up or down."

"Okay, down it is!" shouted Ahim. She then threw a switch and spun the wheel, sending Gokai Galleon 'down' in space, just as the enemy fleet opened fire. The barrage of laser blasts missed the pirate ship and wound up destroying hundreds of enemy vessels.

"That bought us some time," said Ahim as a display screen showed the enemy armada moving about in confusion, trying to reorganize itself to pursue Gokai Galleon, "but they'll be after us in no time."

"Captain, how's it going?" Gai asked into the intercom.

In the engine room, Doc directed Luka and Joe into moving tools and spare parts into position, while Captain Marvelous stood at a secondary control screen, ready to activate the FTL the instant it was repaired.

"We need a few more minutes!" said Doc.

"I don't know if we have that long, Don-san!" shouted Gai.

Just then the ship shook as an enemy laser blast grazed the port side of the hull, then another hit the starboard side.

"I thought you knew how to fly this thing!" Gai shouted as the ship shook from another grazing shot.

"You want me to fly?" Ahim asked, "alright, let's fly!" she then spun the wheel to starboard, sending the ship down and right, avoiding a massive barrage of enemy fire. Ahim then drove the ship hard left and up, avoiding another barrage, but another grazed the ship aft, barely missing the engines.

"Ahim, I'm glad you know how to perform evasive maneuvers," said Luka, "but please don't let them blow us up!"

"I'd feel better if we had shields and weapons!" said Ahim.

"I'd feel better if we just had shields!" said Gai.

Just then one of the computer screens beeped. "Incoming signal!" squawked Navi, "incoming signal!"

"Who's trying to talk to us at a time like this!" Gai asked as Ahim threw the ship into another hard turn. He then activated the communication panel and an image of an overly muscled alien with green and orange skin, five eyes and wearing a black uniform covered in medals and ribbons, appeared.

"Pirate scum!" shouted the decorated alien, "I am Commodore Ursigal V'Tariu, warlord of the 17th Zangyack armada! You will power down your engines and prepare to be boarded. Resist and you will be blown out of the stars! You have one minute to comply!" with that the screen went black.

"Did you hear that, Marvelous-san!?" Ahim asked.

"Every word," said Captain Marvelous.

"I've heard of Commodore Ursigal," said Joe, "he's at the bottom rung of the Zangyack ladder."

"They must be really desperate to catch us if they sent a bottom feeder like that after us," said Luka.

"Or they've got something to prove," said Ahim, "we left the imperial throne without an emperor."

"So, we've got a glory hunting, bottom feeding nobody out to make himself the next emperor," said Joe.

"Well, I guess that the first Zangyack officer of any rank who catches us would have earned the right to rule the empire," said Doc.

"Then let's not give Commodore Ursigal the chance," said Captain Marvelous, "Joe, help me get the shields and weapons back up. Luka, you keep helping Doc. Ahim, Gai, bird, keep them from blasting holes in my ship."

"You got it, Captain!" said Gai.

"And stop calling me 'bird!'" Navi shouted.

Just then another signal came in from the enemy commander.

"We've scanned your ship, pirate scum!" shouted Commodore Ursigal, "your weapons and shields are offline, as is your FTL engine! You cannot escape or fight back! Your only options are to surrender or die! I will not be so lenient if you force me to ask again. Now power down your engines and prepare to be boarded!" with that the transmission ended.

"I don't think he likes us!" said Luka. Just then the whole ship shook again.

"That wasn't a blaster hit, we hit something else!" said Doc.

"Sorry, Doc-san," said Ahim as she furiously piloted the ship, spinning the wheel one way then the other, "I had to take the ship deeper into the asteroid field. I thought the enemy wouldn't follow us too deep." Just then another laser blast grazed the ship, this one again dangerously close to the engines, "I guess I was wrong."

"Wait! Don't take us deeper into the asteroids!" said Gai, "I've got a plan! Captain, don't bother with the weapons, just get the shields back up!"

"What? Why not get the weapons back online?" Joe asked.

"It's part of my plan, trust me!" said Gai. He then looked at Ahim, "turn us towards the star and gun it!"

"What?!" exclaimed Ahim and Navi.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka and Doc.

"Are you insane?!" Luka asked irately.

"I've often wondered that myself," said Joe.

"Gai, did you honestly say to take the ship closer to the star?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"Not closer, right up to it," said Gai, "trust me, captain, this plan is going to blow the minds of Commodore Ursigal and every Zangyack grunt aboard those warships."

"This is nuts!" said Doc, "this ship can't go closer to the star. We'd burn up!"

"So would the enemy," said Captain Marvelous, "Ahim, turn the ship to the star and go full throttle."

"Have you lost your mind, Marvelous!?" exclaimed Joe.

"Maybe," said Captain Marvelous as he smiled eagerly, "but then again, where's the fun if there's no danger? Ahim, turn the ship."

"Yes, Marvelous-san," said Ahim, "but I just want to say that if we burn up, I'm killing Gai in the next life."

"Fair enough," said Captain Marvelous. "Joe, let's get those shields back up. Luka, Doc, fix the damn FLT already. Gai, I hope you know what you're doing."

"I hope so too, Captain," said Gai, "but you're right, there's no fun if there's no danger."

"I always figured you had a screw lose," said Navi.

"Do me a small favor and scan the star for sunspots," said Gai.

"Sunspots?" Ahim asked, "what do…wait…I think I understand. Navi, do as he says and find some sunspots."

"Just one that looks like it's ready to pop," said Gai.

"Scanning," said Navi as she tapped into the ship's sensors, "there is one in the upper left quadrant with a critical magnetic output. Solar flare eruption is imminent."

"Of course!" said Ahim, "you want to lure the enemy close enough to the star and hope they're incinerated by a solar flare."

"That might just work!" said Doc, "if we time it just right…"

"We can pull away from the star and watch Commodore Ursigal and his forces get cooked!" said Luka.

"Great," said Joe, "now we've got to pray a solar flare pops up."

"We don't have to pray," said Gai, "Doc, I know we can't fire our weapons, but can we jettison one of the torpedoes?"

"I can rig up a manual release," said Doc, "I'll have to stop working on the FTL, but…"

"DO IT!" Captain Marvelous shouted.

"I'm on it!" said Doc.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Gai-san," said Ahim, "okay, here we go!" with that she flung the wheel all the way over, pulling Gokai Galleon in a hard turn towards the star and accelerating to maximum thrust.

"We're at full throttle!" said Ahim.

"Locking heading on the sunspot," said Navi.

"It's a good thing this star system isn't that big," said Ahim, "if we had to fly too far towards the sun, the enemy might figure out what we're trying to do."

"That's what I'm hoping they won't do," said Gai, "I'm gambling on Commodore Ursigal being too eager to catch or kill us to realize that we're leading him into a trap."

At that time the enemy leader sent another transmission, "You fools! Do you honestly believe that by flying towards the star that we will not follow!? You are mistaken! My forces would pursue you into a black hole before we give you up! This is the last time I shall ask! Surrender or be destroyed!"

"I'd give real gold to make that jerk shut up!" said Luka.

"Save your loot, he'll be dead soon enough," said Captain Marvelous, "Gai, you'll have shields in a minute."

"That's great, Captain!" said Gai, "it's starting to get warm up here." Indeed, the closer Gokai Galleon was getting to the star, the more heat and solar radiation the ship had to endure.

"Hull temperature at 2000° and rising!" said Navi. Just then a computer screen blinked green, "shields restored!"

"That's one less crisis," said Ahim as she struggled to maintain the ship's heading while dodging enemy fire, only now she was also fighting against the increasing gravitational forces of the star. "But if we don't time this right, we'll burn up too."

"We'll time it right," said Gai, "and it's going to be fantastic. Don-san, how are those torpedoes coming?"

"Another minute and you can dump the whole lot of them!" said Doc.

"Might as well," said Captain Marvelous, "the whole thing was a waste of time and money."'

"You mean my money," said Luka, "Gai, the trigger's ready!"

"Okay, now hold on, everyone!" said Gai, "things are only going to get rougher!"

"Hull temperature at 4000° and rising!" said Navi, "hull stress approaching critical levels!"

"I see the sunspot!" said Ahim as a view screen that filtered out most of the intense light of the star, focused on the upper left quadrant and the large cool spot.

"Dive right towards it," said Gai, "don't pull up until I say so!" another computer screen had a flashing purple icon.

"Hull temperature and stress exceeding maximum tolerance!" shouted Navi.

"Any time you're ready, Gai!" said Luka.

"Wait for it!" said Gai, "wait for it!"

"If we wait any longer, we'll be toast in time for breakfast!" said Joe.

"Wait for it!" shouted Gai.

"Shields failing!" shouted Navi, "shields failing!"

"Now!" shouted Gai, "turn now!"

Ahim shouted with effort as she turned the wheel. The ship pulled out of it's dive just before it reached the star's corona. Gai then pressed the purple icon, ejecting both torpedo launchers from the ship. The launchers plummeted headlong into the sunspot and exploded, rippling the surface of the star and triggered the solar flare, barely missing Gokai Galleon as the eruption of solar mass and energy shot out towards the oncoming Zangyack warships.

"I think we did it, Captain!" shouted Gai as he, Ahim and Navi watched the incineration of the Zangyack fleet. "So much for Commodore Ursigal!"

"Gai, you just earned your share of the booty from the Zangyack home world," said Captain Marvelous, "now, let's finish putting the ship back in order."

Just then several 'warning' windows appeared on all of the computer screens, while an ear-piercing klaxon shouted, accompanied by flashing alert lights all over the ship.

"DANGER! DANGER!" shouted Navi, "we're caught in the star's gravity well! We're being pulled in!"

Indeed, the ship was being dragged towards the blazing conflagration against its will.

"Ahim!" shouted Captain Marvelous.

"We're already at maximum thrust, Marvelous-san!" shouted Ahim as she pushed up with the throttle, though it was already as far as it would go. "I'm sorry, but we're still being pulled towards the star!"

"Can't we lighten the ship?" Joe asked.

"Touch one scrap of my treasure and I'll throw you out the airlock!" shouted Luka.

"It won't matter if we throw out everything on the ship not bolted down," said Doc, "we're too deep in the star's gravity well. We've got one chance; the FTL!"

"Can we use the FTL in such gravity?" Joe asked.

"We'll find out as soon as I fix it!" said Doc, "I just need one more minute."

"Gai, Ahim!" said Captain Marvelous, "as soon as Doc's got the FTL back up, we'll jump away from this star. Plot a course to get us back on our original heading!"

"Warning! Warning!" said Navi, "using FTL while in stellar gravitational field is unadvisable. Navigation systems will not fully function."

"What's that mean?" Gai asked.

"It means we won't know where we'll wind up after breaking light speed," said Doc.

"It's a risk we'll have to take," said Joe.

"Well, we might as well take it now," said Luka, "I can't think of many things that are worse than being burned alive by a star."

"But what a blaze of glory we'd go out in," said Captain Marvelous.

"ALERT! Thirty seconds until shield failure!" shouted Navi.

"DOC!" shouted Captain Marvelous.

"It's patched!" said Doc, "but we still don't know where we'll wind up in!"

"Course plotted in the FLT computer!" said Ahim after entering data into said terminal, "but there's still no guarantee we'll arrive where we wanted to, Marvelous-san."

"No risk, no fun," said Captain Marvelous. With that he pressed the 'Jump' icon on the secondary computer. The engines groaned as if in pain and the entire ship began to shake, while sparks flew from computer screens and lights burst.

Outside things were much brighter but no less chaotic as the ship was surrounded by an intense blue light, followed by a red flash that sent Gokai Galleon tumbling into a corridor of multi-colored light that seemed to go on for eternity. All the while, the crew of pirates were shaken and thrown about as their ship spun out of control.

But as abruptly as the bedlam began, it stopped. The shaking and spinning of the ship ended, plunging the interior of Gokai Galleon into defining silence and blinding darkness. A few seconds later, emergency lights came on in the bridge and the rest of the ship.

"You okay, Ahim?" Gai asked as he got up from the floor.

"I'm alright, Gai-san" said Ahim, "Navi?"

"Did someone catch the number of that space truck?" Navi asked in a dazed tone, the robotic parrot was laying helplessly on the floor, weakly moving her metal wings.

"What about the others?" Ahim asked as she picked Navi up. She and Gai then looked around at the state of the bridge; all the computer screens had blown out while two of the handles on the wheel had broken off.

Gai went over to the intercom and tried to raise the engine room, but all he got back was static, "communications must be down, I'll go down to the engine room."

But then Doc, Joe, Luka and Captain Marvelous burst into the room, "Gai! Ahim!" shouted Doc.

"Don-san!" shouted Gai.

"Marvelous-san, what happened?" Ahim asked.

"I don't know," said Captain Marvelous, "but considering that we're not burned to a crisp, I'd say we got away from that star."

"Yeah, but where are we?" Luka asked as she looked out the window, "we're definitely not in the same galaxy, I can tell you that."

"I don't think we're anywhere near Zangyack territory," said Joe as he and the others looked out the window.

"We'll worry about where we are after we figure out what shape we're in," said Captain Marvelous, "first thing's first; ship status. Doc, is _anything _still working?"

"The Main computer's completely offline," said Doc, "and since we just came from the engine room, I can safely say that the FTL is completely fried, the whole unit will have to be replaced. Weapons, shields, primary sensors, communications and life support, they are all down, the wiring is also fried. Hull integrity is still intact; otherwise we'd be breathing vacuum by now. We're on emergency power for the air circulators and artificial gravity, but they'll only last as long as the battery lasts, which will be three days. We're in pretty bad shape, Marvelous."

"So, in other words," said Captain Marvelous, "if we can't find a space port or a planet to set down on, we're screwed."

"That's pretty much the gist of it," said Doc.

"We can still maneuver with a backup system," said Joe as he went to the wheel and turned it to starboard, surprised that the ship responded and turned, "at least we've got that."

Just then a bright purple sphere came into view in the window. "That's a planet!" exclaimed Gai, "we're saved!"

"Saved! Saved!" squawked Navi.

"We're not saved yet," said Joe, "it may not be a planet."

"Hell, I'll take a moon or an asteroid," said Luka as she happily looked out the window, "if it's got air to breathe, I'll take it."

"It's our best option," said Captain Marvelous, "Joe, steer us towards that world. Doc, rig up some kind of radio and see if there's anyone on that world to talk to."

"I've got just the thing, Marvelous!" said Doc, "be right back!" with that he scrambled out of the room.

"Well, that certainly made him feel better," said Luka.

"I'm feeling better too," said Ahim as she looked out the window as the ship got closer to the world ahead, "what a pretty planet, almost like a big amethyst."

"Let's hope that it's not a giant amethyst floating in space," said Joe.

"If it is, can we take it with us?" Luka asked eagerly, "or at least cut a few pieces of it?"

"It ain't an amethyst," said Captain Marvelous as he looked at the planet through an enhanced spyglass.

Joe locked the wheel on autopilot, pulled out another spyglass and looked ahead, "it is mostly purple crystal, but there's a city on it, and starships."

"Where there's starships and a city, there's people," said Ahim.

"And where there's people, there's money," said Luka.

"And a repair shop," said Doc as he came in, carrying a two-way, battery powered radio set, "I picked up this Ham set back on Earth," he then pulled out the radio set, turned it on and fiddled with the dials, "I'll see if we can raise anyone there."

Before anyone could respond, the radio crackled with static and a voice came from the speaker, "Unidentified starship! This is Radiant Garden Star Control. You're approaching restricted space. State your identity and intentions or we will be forced to take aggressive action."

"Well, that's rude of them," said Luka, "threatening to shoot at us when we haven't even said hello."

"At least we now know for sure that there's people down there," said Joe.

"And we can reason with them," said Captain Marvelous. He then grabbed the mike on the radio and spoke into it, "this is Gokai Galleon calling Radiant Garden Star Control. How are you all doing today?"

A response came a few seconds later, "uh…we're doing alright, Gokai Galleon."

"That's great," said Captain Marvelous, "now, before you go ahead and accidentally blow us out of the stars, you might want to know that my crew and I aren't here to cause trouble."

"We weren't going to shoot you down unless you were an enemy," said the ground control official, "You appeared out of nowhere on our tracking screens and from our viewpoint down here, you're in pretty rough shape. Do you wish to declare an emergency?"

"Damn right we're declaring an emergency!" said Gai, "we're going to run out of air in three days!"

"We don't need to tell them that!" said Luka.

"We'll tell them exactly what they need to know and that's it," said Captain Marvelous. He then spoke into the mike, "we've had a pretty rough time just now and we're in need of repairs. We can pay for a mechanic, so is there one available?"

The response was almost a full minute in coming, "before we give you permission to land, we need to ascertain a few facts. Judging from the markings on your sail and flag, you're a pirate vessel, am I correct?"

"We're friendly space pirates," said Captain Marvelous, "all we want is to get our ship fixed and we'll be out of your hair in no time. Again, we'll pay for a mechanic's services."

"With my gold, no doubt," said Luka reluctantly.

The ground control official then responded, "we'll need your assurance that you won't cause any trouble."

"You've got it," said Captain Marvelous, "we'll even surrender our weapons to you during our stay on your illustrious world."

"MARVELOUS!?" exclaimed Joe, Luka and Gai.

"Surrender our weapons!?" Don asked, "are you serious?!"

"Not all our weapons," said Captain Marvelous to his crew, "we'll give them a few of those Zangyack blasters and swords we've got in the hold."

"And keep our real weapons, that's brilliant, Marvelous-san!" said Ahim.

"Brilliant! Brilliant!" squawked Navi.

The ground control official then responded, "permission to land granted. Just follow the homing beacon to the space port. Once you've landed, ask for Cid, he'll fix your ship without too much trouble."

"Much obliged," said Captain Marvelous, "Gokai Galleon out!"

"I can use the radio to home in on the beacon," said Doc, "a manual landing will be rough, but we'll get down in one piece."

"That or crash," said Luka as she headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Joe asked.

"To gather up enough treasure to pay for repairs," said Luka, "since we're using my loot to fix the ship, I want to make sure that none of you guys try to take anything else from my stash!"

"Just give them one of those huge diamonds, that'll cover the bill," said Ahim.

"At least wait until we know how much repairs on this world will cost," said Doc, "we're pretty banged up; the ship could be in dry dock for weeks."

"As long as we eventually get under way," said Captain Marvelous, "we may be out of Zangyack's reach for now, but I'll feel better once we're ready to get back to finding their home world."

"I just hope we've made the right decision in landing here," said Ahim.

"Oh come on, we'll be alright," said Gai as he smiled cheerfully, "we just survived a huge space battle with no weapons, triggered a solar flare and escaped a star's gravity well. I'd say our luck is on a roll."

"But with all gambling, eventually luck runs out," said Luka.

"Let's hope our dice don't come up 'snake eyes' today," said Captain Marvelous.

* * *

…**Radiant Garden Space Port…**

"I don't like it," said Cid as he and Yuffie stood outside one of the docking berths, waiting for the arriving starship, "I mean, space pirates? At a time like this? This stinks like yesterday's fish and I don't like it!'

"Oh, come on, old man," said Yuffie, "you saw the sensor data. That ship has been dragged through hell and its crew, they're in no condition to cause trouble, and they'll hand over their weapons once they get here."

"I still don't trust 'em," said Cid as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "it's bad enough we've got that Jack Sparrow character at the meeting and he's enough to deal with. "

"Yeah, he is a handful," said Yuffie, "but we can handle a bunch of space pirates."

"And if they do give us trouble," said Selphie as she, Wakka, Tidus, Will and Kirjava, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Nessie and Jacob, stood nearby, "we'll make them regret coming here."

"Are you guys sure it's okay to help out here?" Yuffie asked.

"Hey, any chance to get away from all that shouting," said Jacob.

"I can't believe how quickly things got out of control," said Olette, "things started out so well, but as soon as The King asked for suggestions on how to defend the realms against Maleficent and Xehanort, everyone started shouting."

"Not all at once," said Nessie, "things were pretty quiet at first. Mulan's suggestion about a joint defense force was a good idea. And then Professor Von Drake came in with his ideas."

"Why was he late?" Hayner asked.

"Something about one of his experiments," said Jacob.

"Anyway, he suggested orbital weapon platforms and satellites," said Nessie, "as well as a fleet of gummy ships loaded with the most powerful weapons we can build. Next thing you know, Violet's asking how we're going to build the ships. Aladdin asked where the money to build the ships and satellites will come from. The King offered to pay for a good part of it but then Scrooge McDuck, whom was also late, said that to build just one weapon satellite would cost billions. And then Hercules had to make a joke about Scrooge paying for the whole project.

"That's when things fell apart. Honestly, I had better confrontations with The Volturi that were quieter than what just happened at the meeting, and believe me, you do not want to get into an argument with The Volturi."

"Well," said Pence, "let's hope that by the time we're done with these space pirates, things at the meeting would have calmed down a bit."

"And then maybe we can really get some work done," said Selphie, "I can imagine Maleficent and Xehanort laughing at us right now."

"Thank's to Ansem's machine, Maleficent and Xehanort can't spy on us," said Yuffie, "they don't know we're all here to figure out how to beat them."

"I know," said Selphie, "but Sora and the others are still at Hogwarts. Why did The King decide to hold the meeting while our friends were away? We should have waited until they came back, or better yet, hold it before they left."

"We can only hope for the best," said Olette.

"Here they come!" said Nessie as she and Jacob looked up.

"I don't see anything," said Will as he and Kirjava looked up.

"That's because you're human and daemon," said Jacob, "you can't see it yet. Trust me, the ship's coming."

"And you two have been awfully quiet since you got here," said Nessie.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Will.

"Neither do I," said Kirjava.

"There it is! I see it!" shouted Tidus as he pointed up. Everyone could now see Gokai Galleon approaching the space port.

"Be ready for trouble," said Cid, "I don't care if these guys promised to behave. They're still pirates."

"We'll be ready," said Yuffie, while Selphie and the others nodded in agreement.

A few minutes later the red pirate ship landed in the docking berth. Shortly afterwards, Captain Marvelous and his crew exited Gokai Galleon and approached Cid and the others.

"You're the mechanic Cid?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"Depends," said Cid, "who wants to know?"

"I do," said Captain Marvelous, "my ship's in need of repair and my crew would like a chance to stretch our legs for a while."

"If you've got the cash, I'll fix yer ship up," said Cid.

"And you're free to rest and relax in the city," said Selphie, "assuming you're willing to abide by our rules."

"Rule number one; you cause trouble and your asses are forfeit," said Yuffie.

At that Luka smirked, "and you're going to take our asses from us, little girl?"

"Don't make fun of my height!" said an irate Yuffie, "I'm the best ninja in these realms. I could kill you before you can blink!"

"What she means is that you'll have to deal with us if you insist on trouble," said Selphie.

"And the last thing any of us want is trouble," said Nessie.

"Absolutely," said Ahim in a placating tone, "all my friends and I want is to rest up while our ship is repaired, nothing more, nothing less."

"Well, we were hoping to spend some of our well-earned loot in some of your fine establishments," said Luka, she then eyed Yuffie and Cid, "but if everyone here is as rude and unwelcoming as you two, then we might as well take our business elsewhere."

"Don't antagonize them!" said Doc, "we need to get the ship fixed!"

"Boy, do you need it," said Cid as he looked at Gokai Galleon, "I can tell from here that you need a complete engine overhaul."

"And we need our wiring replaced," said Gai.

"And just about every other system needs fixing," said Joe.

"Say no more, I'll run a complete diagnostic," said Cid, "then we'll discuss payment."

"How about I pay you now and we'll worry about any extra charges after the job's done?" Luka asked.

"You'll pay me after I figure out how much work I'll need to do," said Cid stubbornly, "it's either that, or try for another repair shop. You'll never make it and even if ya do, ya' won't find anyone else who'll do as good a job."

"I figured you'd say that," remarked Luka, "you're really that good?"

"Ain't no one better in The Realms of Light," said Yuffie.

"Is that where we are?" Joe asked, "I've never heard of that part of space."

"Me neither," said Luka, while Doc and Ahim shook their heads.

"You ever hear of it, bird?" Captain Marvelous asked Navi.

"No, I haven't," said Navi, "and don't call me bird!"

"You certainly look like one," said Kirjava.

"Oh, how cute!" said a happily smiling Ahim as she reached down to pet Kirjava.

"Thanks," said the feline daemon as she leapt into Will's arms, "but don't touch me."

"It's better that you didn't," said Will.

"Why, does she have fleas or something?" Joe asked.

"Good heavens, I hope not!" said Kirjava, "getting a flea bath is the last thing I need."

"Okay, I'm confused," said Gai, "where I come from, cat's don't normally talk."

"I'm not a normal cat," said Kirjava.

"Just where are you from?" Jacob asked suspiciously.

"You smell like an Earthling to me," said Nessie. She then sniffed the air, "the rest of your crew, they're all from different worlds," she then sniffed Gai again, "but you're 100% _homo sapiens_."

"You can tell that by just smelling us?" Luka asked.

"That and I can hear your pulse rates," said Nessie, "you've just been through a terrible ordeal."

"You guys certainly look like you've been through a lot," said Wakka.

"You have no idea," said Doc.

"It'd be great to just sit and not worry about anyone trying to kill us for a while," said Joe.

"Who's trying to kill you?" Will asked.

"Hold it a second," said Selphie, "before we go any further, I think it would be a good idea if we at least knew who our friends from the stars are."

"You're right," said Captain Marvelous, "I apologize for not introducing myself and my crew." With that the six pirates and Navi gave their names, while Selphie and the others did the same.

"Okay, now that we're all on familiar terms," said Selphie, "who's trying to kill you?"

"Zangyack," said Joe, "ever hear of them?"

"I think so," said Yuffie, "they're a bunch of alien assholes out to rule the universe, right?"

At that Gai, Luka, Joe, Doc and Captain Marvelous laughed, "that's them, alright!" said Gai.

"They're not in this region of space, are they?" Ahim asked cautiously.

"We didn't even hear about them until a while back," said Yuffie, "trust me, there's no Zangyack anywhere near Radiant Garden."

"In that case, we've got nothing to worry about," said Joe.

"Just one thing, though," said Tidus, "you want to catch some R&R on Radiant Garden, hand over your weapons."

"I promise, they'll be returned to you when it's time for you to take your leave," said Selphie, "but you must surrender them now."

"Of course," said Captain Marvelous as he handed over a Zangyack sword and blaster to Tidus, while Joe handed his over to Wakka, Luka handed hers over to Nessie, Doc handed his to Pence, Ahim handed hers to Olette and Gai handed his to Hayner.

"Anything else you wish to declare?" Selphie asked as the weapons were cataloged and moved to storage, "any foreign objects or currency?"

"Just what's in my purse!" said Luka eagerly as she held up a large money bag.

"And these," said Joe as he, Captain Marvelous, Luka, Ahim and Doc held up their Mobilates, the special cell phones that allowed them to transform, while Gai held up his own special cell phone, his Gokai Cellular.

"Nothin' suspicious about them," said Cid.

"Glad to know," said Captain Marvelous as he and his crew put their phones away.

"Now that that's taken care of," said a warmly smiling Selphie, "welcome to Radiant Garden."

"We're glad to be here," said Captain Marvelous. He then tossed a small card to Cid, whom caught it "that's my number."

"Thanks," said Cid as he pocketed the card, "I'll call ya' when I've finished looking your ship over."

"Take good care of her," said Luka, "Gokai Galleon is more than a ship, she's our home."

"I always treat starships like the ladies they are," said Cid.

"I can't believe that worked," Gai whispered to Joe as he and the other Gokaigers followed Selphie and her group out of the spaceport and into the city proper, while Cid began looking over the damaged Gokai Galleon.

"I'm finding it hard to believe myself," said Joe in a hushed tone, "they didn't even search us for additional weapons."

"They don't have to," Captain Marvelous whispered, "that girl," he indicated Nessie, "she's been staring at us the moment we got here. I'll bet she knows we've got our real weapons still on us."

"Then why didn't she tell the others?" Luka asked, "why didn't she blow the whistle?"

"Because she's giving us a chance to play by the rules," said Ahim.

"And we will play by the rules," said Captain Marvelous, "we'll keep our hands empty, unless they need to be filled."

"Let's hope we don't need full hands until after we leave this world," said Luka in a concerned tone, "there's something weird about this place. I mean, they only heard about Zangyack like last week or so. What's up with that?"

"Maybe Zangyack passed this part of space over," said Doc, "maybe these people got lucky."

"Maybe," said Ahim, "or maybe something else. Let's just keep our eyes open without causing trouble."

"Hey, if they'll accept gold as payment," said Luka as she held up her purse that was overstuffed with coins, "then they're already my new best friends."

* * *

"They've still got weapons on them," Nessie whispered to Jacob, Will and the others.

"Then let's stop and search them," said Selphie in a hushed yet angry tone, "I can't believe I didn't search them at first."

"Hey, nobody's perfect," said Tidus.

"We can still search them before they get into town," said Hayner.

"No," said Nessie, "let's give them the chance to behave."

"But they're pirates!" Pence insisted in a hushed tone.

"Not all pirates are as evil as Captain Hook and Captain Barbosa," said Jacob, "these guys aren't our enemies."

"You're just saying that because it's what Nessie wants you to say," Kirjava said irately.

"I know it's what she wants," said Jacob, "but I also want it. These space pirates, they're different."

"I'm willing to gamble that they're good guys," said Nessie.

"Well, if you're willing, then so am I," said Olette.

"Same here," said Hayner.

"Well, if you two are on Nessie's side," said Pence, "then me too."

"As are we," said Will. He then looked at Kirjava, "right?"

"Do I have a choice? We're two sides of the same coin," said Kirjava, "but we should stay close to these space pirates. If they cause trouble, we'll be ready to make them regret it."

"Exactly what I was thinking," said Nessie, "but I also think that our new friends are going to play by the rules."

"I sincerely hope you're right," said Selphie.

* * *

Far out in space between the worlds, the vast Zangyack armada relentlessly cruised towards Radiant Garden with merciless intent. Aboard the Manticore-like flagship, Maleficent, Xehanort and their fellow villains waited in a dinning room lavishly decorated with gold, silver and precious stones. The table was carved from imperial jade and set with crystal plates, silverware and glasses, the chairs were carved from gilded wood and velvet cushions, while the candelabras were pure platinum. A quartet of string musicians were playing, while multiple servants in blue and green livery waited along the wall.

"I'll admit about Karlaz," said Dio Brando as he held one of the crystal goblets up to the light, "she's got excellent taste."

"Exquisite taste," Lady Tremaine insisted as she and Regina sat down. One of the servants promptly walked over with a wine bottle, uncorked it and held it out to Regina.

"And she knows which vintages are pleasing to the senses," said Regian after sniffing the cork. She nodded to the servant, whom then poured the two villainesses the wine.

"And she knows exactly how long to keep us waiting," said Sephiroth.

"Oh, spare the rest of us the nobility small talk!" said Insano as he leaned against the wall, "if she wants to make us stew in our own juices, then she should have told us that she'd be late!"

"You have no sense of protocol, my lunatic ally," said Xehanort.

"We are guests on Karlaz's flagship," said Malrficent, "this is her invasion fleet, this is…in a sense, her party."

"Spoken like a true lady of good breeding," said Karlaz as she, Vokarn, Janicia and Huvnario Yr walked in, flanked by two Sugormin guards. The three retainers of the would-be empress were in more official versions of their attire, while Karlaz wore a black and silver sleeveless gown slit up one side up to her lower hip and a very deep neckline, the whole dress accenting her body in a very sensual way.

"Wow!" said an eager Dio Brando as he stood up, "now there's a shot for a propaganda poster!" he then held his fingers in a square formation, framing Karlaz like a photograph, "'Join The Empire. I say so; I'm hot!'"

"Oh, you flatter me," said Karlaz in a teasing manner.

"And that's all you're going to do, big boy," said Janicia, "if you even _think _about touching my mistress, I'll slice your dick off and make you eat it, your nuts as well!"

"She'd do it," said Huvanario Yr, "I've seen her make her victims eat their own organs before they die."

"Can we please avoid graphic descriptions of bodily carnage during dinner?" Karlaz asked, "there'll be plenty of time to tell tales of our bloody exploits later, but never when I'm eating."

"Speaking of which, what's for supper?" Gaston asked, "I could eat ten roasted quails."

"We have a similar fowl on tonight's menu," said Huvnario Yr, "Tarkalian Water Grouse, stuffed with bell peppers, wild rice and onions. First up, Palikiar Soup and Strawberry Delight for desert."

"Sounds juicy," said Dio Brando.

"I'm glad you approve," said Karlaz as everyone sat down and was served wine, "I try to keep my guests comfortable and well fed, same goes for my organic minions."

"Ah, yes, your Action Commanders," said Xehanort, "I'd like to take a look at their profiles. Perhaps I can help determine how best to use them in the coming invasion."

"I personally selected these Action Commanders," said General Vokarn, "culled from a vigorous program that weeded out those unworthy of serving lady Karlaz."

"How did you choose them?" Regina asked, "a standardized test?"

"Intelligence was a factor in the culling process," said Vokarn, "as was physical prowess. The potentials needed to survive an obstacle course full of death traps, some of them that needed to be solved in order for the hopeful to continue. Only seven were alive at the end of the cull."

"Only seven warriors?" Sephiroth asked, "you're leading an invasion force with only seven enforcers?"

"Do not forget the hordes of Gormin and the hundreds of Sugormin soldiers," said Huvanario Yr, "as well as the faithful logistic and supply officers, starship pilots and crew and of course, Lady Karlaz's personal servants."

"And such servants they are," said Karlaz after downing her glass of wine, which was promptly filled by a servant. "But do not fret. I have an additional score of Action Commanders waiting with the rest of my forces back in my native universe. In the unlikely event that reinforcements are needed, they can be summoned with a dimensional transponder and will arrive with the use of an emergency dimensional shifter installed in all warships under my command." She then downed that glass and it was filled again.

"Dimensional transponders and emergency dimensional shifters," said Insano, "I've experimented in such technology, yet have yet to see it in action."

"Pray that you won't any time soon," said Janicia, "for if reinforcements are needed, then it means that the campaign will have ran into a serious snag."

"Which, I'm confident, won't happen," said Karlaz. She then downed her glass of wine, which was then refilled for a fourth time..

"Is it wise for you to have so much before a major confrontation?" Regina asked.

"I had a device surgically implanted in my throat that neutralizes alchohol," said Karlaz boldly, "I can drain an entire barrel of wine without getting even the slightest bit of inebriation, unlike my lush of a cousin, Bacchus. I detest inebriation. It is a sign of weakness, and the weak have only one purpose."

"To be exploited by the strong," said Lady Tremaine.

"Indeed," said Karlaz, "there's an old axiom that I find more true than others; _'the weak are meat and the strong doth eat.'_"

"Now I know I'm in love," said Dio Brando lustfully, "how about it? You and me as a couple?"

"I beg your pardon!?" exclaimed an outraged Huvanario Yr.

"A filthy human scumbag like you?! Mating with Lady Karlaz!?" shouted Vokarn.

"I'll skin you and make you eat it before you touch her!" shouted Janicia.

"I thought I made it clear, no sickening images during dinner!" said Karlaz as she glared irately at Janicia.

"I…forgive me, Lady Karlaz," said Janicia in a subdued tone, "but, this…this sack of pig vomit! He dares to imagine…"

"I know what he's thinking about, dear Janicia," said Karlaz, "if he wishes to dream, let him," she then looked at Dio Brando with lustful eyes, "when I am empress, I can chose whomever I wish as my consort, assuming you can prove yourself up to the challenge of satisfying my needs. Then again, you may not survive."

"We'll see who lasts longest," said Dio Brando.

"There goes my appetite," said Insano in a nauseated tone.

Just then a servant walked into the room and up to Karlaz, "forgive me, mistress, but Uad'Kexk needs to speak with you. She says it's urgent."

"Send her in then," said Karlaz, "if my best spy has urgent news, then I wish to her it."

The servant bowed and a moment later, return with Uad'Kexk, "Lady Karlaz," said the reptilian spy, "long range sensors detected an unidentified starship approaching the armada from the rear at high speed. The rearguard ships request permission to capture the ship and interrogate its crew."

"Granted," said Karlaz, "tell the ship captains to try their best to keep the crew alive, I'd like a word with them afterwards."

"I obey," said Uad'Kexk. She bowed and walked out of the room.

"Who's trying to get past the fleet?" Regina asked.

"Someone who's in a hurry, obviously," said Gaston.

"They certainly picked the wrong day to be in a rush," said Janicia, "they'll be begging for death after the interrogation."

"And I'll grant them a release, after they answer my questions," said Karlaz, "knowledge is power after all."

"And speaking of power," said Xehanort, "even with your upcoming victory over Radiant Garden, you'll still need more than a few thousand warships to convince the rest of the empire to give you the throne."

"I don't expect them to simply give it to me," said Karlaz, "I imagine my bid for the throne would most likely plunge the empire into further chaos. No doubt there are other nobles and warlords gathering allies and eliminating rivals. For all I know, there could be assassins within my own armada, waiting for the right moment to put a dagger in my back or poison my meals."

"And you let us drink your wine!?" exclaimed Lady Tremaine as she stood up, flinging her wine glass against the wall, causing the fragile crystal to shatter.

"You idiot!" shouted Huvanario Yr in an outraged tone, "that was Casstorian crystal! The most expensive crystal ware in the empire! And if the wine was poisoned, wouldn't we be dead by now!?"

"We all drank from the same barrel," said Maleficent, "I know," just then her raven landed on her shoulder, "my pet watched the decanters being filled."

"And I have the best poison snoopers in existence," said Karlaz, "they're all over my flagship. I can show you how they work after dinner. Trust me, my new friends, we're perfectly safe from that form of assassination."

Just then Uad'Kexk burst into the room, "forgive me, Lady Karlaz, but the unknown ship got through the armada!"

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Karlaz as she stood up, glaring wrathfully at the spy.

"The ship was too fast for the rearguard to get a tractor beam lock on it," said Uad'Kexk in a pleading tone, "and too agile for weapons lock. It flew through the armada, shooting as it went and exited through the lead formations. Fifteen ships have been destroyed and a further fifty damaged."

"What ship was capable of doing that?" Sephiroth asked.

"Our sensors still couldn't identify it," said Uad'Kexk, "but judging from its flight path, it originated from Zumakalis."

"Zumakalis?" Huyanario Yr asked.

"Hakonian filth!" snapped Maleficent, "those traitors!"

"What are you…oh yes, I remember now," said Karlaz as she sat down, "the Hakonians; ragged survivors of an ancient empire whom you enslaved, only to be betrayed. They were an essential element in your downfall."

"They destroyed my castle on The World That Never Was!" shouted Maleficent, "They destroyed New Hollow Bastion and turned the world into that light-filled abomination."

"Actually, it was the Princesses of Heart who turned The World That Never Was back into Zumakalis," said Xehanort, "a mere technicality, yet truthful nonetheless."

"I'll deal with the Hakonians in due time," said Karlaz. She then looked at Uad'Kexk, "where was the ship heading?"

"It's estimated that it was heading straight for Radiant Garden," said the reptilian spy, "they'll reach the world hours before we can assume orbit."

"They're on their way to warn that fool Ansem and the others at the meeting!" said Maleficent, she then looked at Karlaz, "you must stop them! Now! Before we lose the element of surprise!"

"You dare give Lady Karlaz an order!?" Vokarn shouted, while Janicia stood up, ready to draw her swords.

"I dare because it is my right to dare!" exclaimed Maleficent, "I am the mistress of all evil and you will obey me!" She then tensed as Uad'Kex appeared behind her, holding a knife to her throat.

"You may be the mistress of all evil, _petaQ_!" hissed Uad'Kex, "but you're still mortal."

"I know how you've been cheating death, Maleficent," said Karlaz, "I know that if your current body dies, your essence will endure, but not forever. It's within my means to obliterate you once and for all."

"Shall I do it, Lady Karlaz?" Uad'Kex asked as she tightened her grip on her knife, increasing the pressure of the blade on Maleficent's throat and cutting her enough to make her bleed slightly.

"Not so long as our friend learns her place," said Karlaz. She then looked at Maleficent in the eye, "and you have learned your lesson, have you?"

"And what lesson would that be?" Maleficent asked in a calm tone, despite the blade that threatened to sever her jugular.

"That I am in command of this expedition," said Karlaz coldly, "and that you are my guest. You are free to state any observations and offer suggestions," she then glared at Maleficent with unadulterated loathing, "but if you ever, _ever_, try to give me an order again, you will regret it."

"Then I have learned my lesson," said Maleficent, "as have my companions."

"I have no wish to learn additional lessons," said Xehanort.

"I knew you were in charge from the beginning," said Dio Brando.

"You'll get no complaints from the rest of us," said Regina, while Gaston and Lady Tremaine nodded in agreement and Insano ignored the whole incident as he typed some notes into his PDA.

"Then let's move on from this unpleasantness," said Karlaz. With a wave of her hand, Uad'Kexk released Maleficent, the dark magic user calmly sitting down and healing the minor cut on her neck.

"There'll be plenty of unpleasantness to come for all," said Karlaz. She then downed her wineglass and a servant promptly refilled it. "Now, as to that intruder ship from Zumakalis," she then looked at Huyanario Yr, "do we have enough fuel reserves for the armada to maintain flank speed to Radiant Garden?"

"Calculating," said Huyanario Yr as he closed his eyes, his computerized brain processing the question as lights on the metal part on his skull flashed with different colors. After two seconds the cyborg majordomo opened his eyes, "there is sufficient fuel for a sustained flank speed burn for the entire armada, yet it is unadvisable to push so many starship engines to their limit all at once. I recommend that our advance forces push ahead after the intruder to intercept, while the rest increase to only normal full cruising speed."

"Make it so," said Karlaz.

"I obey," said Uad'Kexk. With that she bowed and exited the room.

"Fear not, my villainous companions," said Karlaz after downing another glass of wine, which was promptly refilled, "my ships will catch the Hakonian intruder before it reaches Radiant Garden. And if my some unlikely miracle the ship reaches the planet first, let them warn those pathetic fools there. Nothing will prevent the doom that is to befall Radiant Garden.

"And as for the Hakonians, or the new Zumakali as they wish to call themselves now, I say, after Radiant Garden is properly smashed, we shall in turn smash Zumakalis. And additional victory would only make my bid for the throne that much easier," she looked at Vokarn, "wouldn't you agree, General?"

"Most sincerely, Lady Karlaz," said General Vokarn, "I'll begin drawing invasion plans immediately."

"Then I propose a toast," said Karlaz as she stood up, "to Radiant Garden and Zumakalis!" she raised her wine glass, while everyone else stood up and raised their glasses as well, "may their downfalls be swift and relatively painless."

"Doubtful," said Xehanort, "if I know Ansem and those other heroes, they will resist with everything they have."

"Perfect," said Karlaz as she smiled with cruel wickedness, "it's no fun when those you seek to crush don't put up a fight. Their defiance will only prove how weak they are. Remember; the weak are meat and the strong doth eat."

"Indeed," said Maleficent.

**The end of chapter 1.**

_Next chapter finds Captain Marvelous and his crew taking part in the less than harmonious Grand Conclave and offering their own suggestions. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	3. Chapter 2: Crashing the Conclave

_Last time found Captain Marvelous and his intrepid crew of space pirates turning the tables on a Zangyack trap. Unfortunately it left them and Gokai Galleon trapped in the gravity well of a star. An emergency activation of the ship's FTL drive catapulted Gokai Galleon across time and space, arriving in the neighborhood of Radiant Garden in The Realms of Light. Landing on that world for repairs, The Gokaigers met up with several of the local heroes and set out to stretch their legs._

_Meanwhile, Maleficent, Xehanort and their cabal dined with Karlaz Gill and her inner circle as the Zangyack armada relentlessly cruised towards Radiant Garden. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 2: Crashing the Conclave**

…**Radiant Garden…**

"I'll bet you guys have been all over the universe," said Tidus as he, Wakka, Selphie, Yuffie, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Will, Kirjava, Nessie and Jacob walked with Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and Gai through the town Marketplace.

"Well, not everywhere," said Doc, "we've never been to Arcadium III."

"Or The Medusa Cascade," said Ahim, "I hear it's the most beautiful area in the universe."

"We've got some pretty scenic spots in our universe," said Selphie.

"And we've got some pretty nice things here on this world too," said Yuffie, "and some pretty expensive shops."

"Hey, they show me the merchandise and I'll put up the cash," said Luka.

"I'd keep your wallet in your pocket," said Captain Marvelous, "at least until we get a billing statement from that mechanic."

"If you're worried about Cid bleeding your coffers, don't," said Yuffie, "I know Cid. Sure, he's surly and never seems to have fun, "but I know how to push his buttons. Just let me talk to him and he'll cut you a deal."

"I'm more curious as to how your ship got that way," said Nessie to Captain Marvelous, "were you in a space battle?"

"More or less," said Joe, "We had a…minor problem with our weapons system."

"Don't ever buy anything from The Slitheen," said Luka, "I knew we shouldn't have made that stopover at Raxacoricofallapatorius."

"Why couldn't we have gone to that other planet in the system?" Gai asked.

"Clom?" Joe asked in a nauseated tone, "no thank you!"

"Long story," said Doc to Gai, "anyway," he said to Selphie, Hayner and the others, "we were in a fight, but thanks to Ahim, we were barely touched."

"Seriously, you flew the ship like a pro!" said Luka to Ahim, whom was blushing with modest embarrassment.

"Yeah, you've got a big ship," said Hayner, "our ship now, she's not as big, but I'll bet _The Voyaging Light_ can outfight your ship any day of the week."

"Is that so," said Captain Marvelous, "well, you bring your ship and we'll see who's the best."

"Can we wait until ours is fixed, Marvelous?" Doc asked in a slightly exasperated tone.

"And our ship isn't back yet," said Pence. "Come to think of it, Cid still hasn't finished fixing _The Voyaging Light_."

"Yeah, what's taking him so long?" Olette asked, "he fixed up _The Intrepid Heart_, so where's ours?"

"I didn't see it at the space docks," said Will, "Cid must still have it in his shop."

"Yeah, well, we put a lot of hard work into _The Voyaging Light_," said Hayner stubbornly, "and a lot of money."

"Tell me about it," said Pence, "I can't believe that one guy I bought parts from ripped me off."

"That'll teach you not to buy anything out of the back of a truck," said Nessie.

Just then The Gullwings appeared, "you bought gummy ship parts out of the back of a truck?" Rikku asked as she, Yuna and Paine, hovered around Pence, "boy, that was dumb!"

"Not as dumb as being stranded inside a giant space whale," said Kirjava, "and curing him of a tooth ache."

"It was more weird than dumb," said Will.

"We've seen plenty of weird and dumb ourselves," said Paine.

"I'm sure you have," said Yuffie, "so, what are you three treasure fanatics doing here?"

"Hoping to get to know a fellow treasure fanatic," said Paine as she looked at Luka, "how big's your trove?"

"Pretty big," said Luka, whom then looked disapprovingly at her fellow crewmates, "and it'd be a lot bigger if some people would keep their grubby hands off of it."

"Hey, we have financial needs too, you know," said Joe.

"You should invest in a retirement plan," said Rikku, "we're looking into one, right, Yuna? Yuna?"

But Yuna wasn't paying attention to her fellow Gullwing. Instead, she was gazing at Tidus as if he was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"What?" Tidus asked as he realized Yuna was staring at him, "is there something on my face?"

"This is going to sound weird," said Yuna as she hovered closer to Tidus, "but have we met before? I feel like I should know you."

"Uh, no, I don't think we've met," said Tidus in an uncomfortable tone, "I'd know if I've met a fairy before."

"We're not fairies!" said an annoyed Paine, "were mercenary treasure fanatics!"

"So are we in SeeD," said Selphie, "the difference is that we have our own sense of honor. You three basically whored yourself to Maleficent when she promised you gold, and it was an empty promise."

"So was the promise that Donald made," said Rikku, "but we stopped complaining about that long ago."

"Come to think of it," said Tidus as he looked at Yuna, "I feel like I know you too. But how's that possible? I've never seen you before."

"Me neither," said Yuna. She then sat on Tidus's shoulder, "but for some strange reason, you're very important to me."

"Ditto," said Tidus.

"Okay, this is definitely weird," said Wakka.

"And familiar," said Selphie, "remember, I was reincarnated."

"Reincarnated?" Doc asked.

"Yep," said Selphie, "long story short, when I died in my last life, my soul was blasted back in time and into this universe, where I was reborn as you see me now. It's possible that Tidus and Yuna experienced something similar."

"You mean they were together in another life and were reborn here on different worlds?" Rikku asked, "with Tidus on Earth and Yuna as a sprite like Paine and me?" she then frowned as she put her hands on her hips, "that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"Well, there are ways to find out," said Selphie, "as soon as Naminé gets back, she'll draw your portraits and see if you've got any sleeping memories."

"It's probably just a coincidence," said Paine.

"Yeah, even I'm not that dumb to believe in reincarnation," said Rikku, "and in fact…" but before she could say anything further, something large and brown dove down from the sky and tackled Rikku to the ground. The blond sprite gave a squeak of fright as what tackled her, a large hawk, pined her to the ground with its claws.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Yuffie.

"Hang on, Rikku!" shouted Yuna as she jumped off of Tidus' shoulder, drawing a pair of pistols that matched her size and aimed them at the hawk, "I'll blast its eyes out!"

"Just get it off of me!" shouted Rikku.

But then the hawk morphed into Lara Dunbar, whom was now wearing a green and pink shirt with a blue and white skirt, an orange hoodie jacket, blue shoes with purple and green socks. "Don't shoot me!" Lara shouted as she raised her hands in a surrender gesture, "I didn't mean to hurt her!"

"You scared me more than hurt," said Rikku as she stood up and brushed herself off, "but what gives?"

"Sorry," said Lara as she cleaned her glasses, "I was practicing my polymorphing and I kind of got lost in the transformation."

"Lost in the transformation?" Paine asked in an exasperated tone.

"Yeah, that's kind of a risk you take when you assume the shape of another life form," said Lara in a sheepish tone, "sometimes you can be overwhelmed by animal instincts."

"Your animal instincts nearly killed my friend!" shouted Paine.

"It's alright, I'm okay," said Rikku, "seriously, I'm fine."

"Yeah, well," said Paine as she eyes Lara suspiciously, "I'd be more at ease if you stayed in human form."

"It's alright," said Lara, "I'm finished for now. Anyway, my grandma has a message for Yuffie and the others. She's at the meeting right now and has everything back under control, but would appreciate it if you all would return to the castle so everyone could get back to work."

"Well, that'll put things on track," said Selphie. "Maybe we can finally decide what to do about Xehanort and Maleficent."

"Who?" Luka asked.

"And what's this about a meeting?" Ahim asked.

"Another long story," said Selphie.

"We're listening," said Captain Marvelous.

"I don't know if it's a good idea to tell them too much," Will said to Selphie and Yuffie, "for all we know, they could be spies for our enemies."

"They would have made less of a ruckus when they came here if they were spies," said Yuffie, "but that's just my opinion."

"Call me crazy, but I'm willing to trust them," said Selphie, "anyone else objects?"

"We're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt," said Nessie, while Jacob nodded in agreement.

"So are we," said Pence, while Olette and Hayner nodded in agreement.

"As are we," said Tidus, while Wakka and The Gullwings nodded.

"Sorry, Will," said Yuffie, "but majority rules."

"Yes, well, that's democracy for you," said Kirjava.

"The joys and sorrows of a free country," said Will, "alright, but I'll be keeping an eye on our new friends."

"You do that," said Selphie. She then looked at Lara, "you go tell your grandmother that we'll be along in a moment."

"Wait a second," said Tidus, "if we're needed back at the meeting, then why didn't Leon or Quistis call?"

"Why didn't Ansem call?" Yuffie asked, "we all have cell phones."

"I know," said Lara, "but this way gave me the chance to stretch my wings. Now, if you'll excuse me, I could use the extra practice. A sorceress's studies are never complete," with that she morphed back into a hawk and took flight, heading straight for the castle.

"Now that's bizarre," said an impressed Doc.

"And important," said Selphie, "that girl may just well be the most powerful magic user in the realms of light."

"Is that fact or belief?" Joe asked.

"A bit of both," said Selphie, "I've seen what Lara can do. It's only been a few weeks since she moved here and started learning magic with Merlin and already she's strong enough to take on some of our worst enemies."

"They must be pretty weak enemies to be walked over by a little girl," said Luka.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew about our enemies," said Yuffie.

"Enlighten us then," said Captain Marvelous.

"Again, it's a long story," said Selphie, "and it's a long way back to the castle, so we might as well get some snacks."

"I heard there's a new Sea Salt Ice Cream parlor along the way," said Yuffie.

"Sounds great!" said Will.

"Glad you approve," said Yuffie, "you're buying."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed both Will and Kirjava.

"Sorry, but you snooze, you lose," said Yuffie as she and everyone else headed for the new ice cream parlor.

"Oh, come on, you can't be serious!" said Will, "I can't afford to buy ice cream for all of us."

"Actually, you can," said Kirjava, "you brought enough money from our world and changed it to the local currency when we got here."

"It's for emergencies," Will insisted, "and ice cream doesn't count as an emergency."

"Hey, missing out on Sea Salt Ice Cream would be an emergency," said Pence.

"In that case you can pay for some of it," said Will.

"Sorry, I used up all my allowance getting my computer fixed," said Pence, "and it was a new computer too, well, almost new."

"Please tell me you didn't buy it off of the back of a truck," said Nessie.

"No," said an annoyed Pence as he crossed his arms, "like I'd ever make that mistake gain. No, I got my computer at a flea market sale."

At that Hayner, Olette, Nessie, Jacob, Will and Kirjava all groaned with annoyance, while those with hands face-palmed.

"I've got enough cash," said Luka as she took out a small bag full of gold coins, "desert's on me."

"Huh!?" Ahim, Doc, Joe, Gai and Captain Marvelous all said in a confounded tone.

"What?" Luka asked, "I'm in a good mood, and if buying ice cream for twenty people can get us a story about this world, it's fair price to pay."

"Can't argue with that logic," said Gai.

* * *

A short time later found Selphie, Yuffie, Tidus, Wakka, The Gullwings, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Will, Kirjava, Nessie, Jacob and the Gokaigers approaching the castle, all of them finishing up their Sea Salt Ice Cream and with the space pirates hearing about The Heartless, the many villains and the current threat of Maleficent and Xehanort.

"So now we're all together to figure out what to do about the maniacs who want to destroy us," said Selphie.

"But it won't matter if everyone at the meeting keeps shouting at each other," said Yuffie an exasperated tone, "honestly, you'd think that when a major crisis is at hand, we'd be able to sit down and talk like reasonable, responsible people and not let personal differences make us squabble like chickens."

"Well, there's nothing like a good argument to keep friendships healthy," said Gai.

"This is serious," said Selphie, "Maleficent and Xehanort are out to kill us and plunge all of reality into chaos. That's what's going to happen if they ever get their feet in the door to Kingdom Hearts."

"Just what is Kingdom Hearts?" Doc asked.

"It's…very hard to explain," said Yuffie, "it's the heart of all worlds and the source of all light and darkness. Exactly what it is, I'm not sure even Ansem knows, and he's the wisest in the Realms of Light."

"And what about these Heartless and Nobodies?" Joe asked, "creatures of living darkness consumed by their own evil?"

"And Nobodies are life forms without hearts?" Ahim asked. "how can anything like that exist?"

"They're not supposed to," said Hayner, "but they do."

"Which is why we're all meeting to figure out how to keep The Heartless, Nobodies and all the rotten villains out of our worlds," said Nessie. "You know, if my father were here, he'd settle all arguments before they even happen. Aunt Alice too."

"Reading minds and seeing the future does have its benefits," said Olette.

"Well, maybe we can do something to help," said Doc.

"What?" Joe asked.

"How can we help these people with their problems?" Luka asked.

"Should we even get involved?" Ahim asked, "not that I don't want to help out, I do, honestly."

"But it's a serious matter," said Captain Marvelous, "we're in the middle of our own crisis, should we get involved in another?"

"Of course we should!" said Gai, "we're here, aren't we? And for how long? So why not help?"

"It'd give us something to do while we're waiting for the ship to be fixed," said Joe.

"And it'd give us a chance to make some new friends," said Ahim, "and learn more about this strange and wondrous universe."

"And maybe figure out how we got here," said Joe, "and figure out how to get back to our universe."

"Well, if anyone can figure out how to get you guys home, it's Ansem," said Yuffie.

"I'll bet that if you guys help out at the meeting," said Nessie, "then Ansem and the other brains here, they'd be glad to help you out."

"One back scratches the other," said Jacob.

"Then let's go to this meeting and scratch some backs," said Captain Marvelous.

"No time like the present," said Selphie.

With that they went into the castle and were shown to the upper levels. As they approached a large set of doors, they could hear muffled shouting from the other side.

"They really are going at it," said Wakka in a slightly disturbed yet impressed tone.

"And they're all friends in there?" Ahim asked, "what could possibly drive such a wedge into their friendship?"

"A crisis can bring out the best and worse in people," said Joe.

Just then one of the doors opened and the chaotic shouting reached deafening levels. From the meeting room came a flustered Victoire and her husband, Teddy Lupin. The half werewolf wizard hastily closed the door behind them and the two newlyweds breathed a sigh of relief, yet the shouting could still be heard from the other side of the door.

"Son of a banshee!" said an exasperated Victoire, "I've been to family reunions at The Burrow that were quieter."

"I've been in battles that were quieter than that," said Teddy. He and Victoire then saw Captain Marvelous and the other pirates standing with Selphie and the others. "Oh, hello. How are you all?"

"We're doing pretty well," said Luka, "considering that our ship was torn up plenty."

"But she'll fly true," said Captain Marvelous.

"I thought Silvia had things under control in there," said Selphie.

"She did for a second," said Victoire, "but then Professor von Drake brought up the orbital defenses again, then Scrooge McDuck brought up how much it would cost and asked where the money would come from. Then Violet said he should pay for it since he's got such a huge Money Bin. Next thing you know, it's total bedlam all over again."

"This is asinine, totally and completely asinine," said Yuffie, "why hasn't Leon or Quistis tried to calm things down?"

"Leon's sitting in a corner, last I saw him," said Teddy, "like he's trying to take a nap but can't relax."

"Yeah, that sounds like Squall," said Selphie in an uncomfortable tone.

"Quistis is trying to make herself heard above the others but no luck," said Victoire, "Teddy and I could have used _Sonorus _to get the last word in, but it isn't our turn to talk."

"I thought that with all the shouting, we'd given that up," said Tidus.

"What's this now?" Joe asked.

"One of the first things and few things we agreed upon is how the meeting would be conducted," said Olette, "everyone would be able to have their say, but only one at a time would make a statement, then someone else would be recognized and so on."

"Well, it's still Alice's turn," said Victoire, "I can tell she'd be able to get everyone on track again, assuming the others give her a chance to speak."

"Nothing to do but go back in there and try," said Hayner reluctantly.

"Do we have to?" Pence asked nervously.

"Do you want Xehanort and Maleficent to wipe us all out?" Tidus asked.

"Not really," said Pence.

"Then let's get this meeting back on track," said Selphie. With that she opened the doors, flooding the area with the incoherent shouting of the meeting. There sitting around the big table was King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Scrooge McDuck, Merlin, Yen Sid, Aladdin and Jasmine, Belle and Beast, Ariel and her family, Mulan, Hercules, Jack Sparrow, Jack Skellington, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora and Phillip, Violet, Ranma and Sara, Lyra and Pan, Sylvia Dunbar and Alice, while Quistis was at the snack table loading a plate full of bagels and smoked salmon, Lara was trying to decide between a strawberry pastry or a slice of peach pie, while Leon was sitting on one corner of the room, trying to ignore the awful din of the conclave members.

Nearly everyone at the big table was shouting, while King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and Alice were trying to calm things down, but to no avail. In Alice's hand was a small blue and green stone about the size of a cue ball.

"Good grief!" exclaimed Gai as he and the other Gokaigers covered their ears, "what a commotion."

"That's it in a nutshell!" said Nessie as she glared irately at the arguing heroes and Princesses, "I don't know about the rest of you," she said to her friends, "but I'm getting a little irked at this waste of time and energy."

"You'll get no arguments from me!" said Jacob, "so, how do you want to handle this?"

"I don't know precisely," said Nessie, "but bashing in a lot of heads might just figure into it."

"Good idea," said Hayner, while Pence cracked his knuckles, "we're a little behind in Struggle practice."

But before any heads could be bashed in, there came an earsplitting roar from Beast that drowned out everyone else's shouting. Within seconds, the room was left silent as everyone looked at Beast with dumbfounded eyes.

"Let the child speak!" growled Beast, "she has the marker stone!"

"We all agreed that the one holding the marker stone is recognized to talk," said Belle, "and Alice has it now, so we should give her our undivided attention."

At that Aladdin and Jasmine, Aurora and Phillip and most of the others nodded in agreement, while Scrooge McDuck, Jack Sparrow and a few others sat back with irritated looks on their faces.

"Umm…thank you," said Alice as she looked at Belle and Beast. She then cleared her throat and spoke to the group, "now, as I was saying before things completely went out of control, we shouldn't allow ourselves to argue needlessly. I understand that we all have differences; we're all from different worlds with different ideologies and traditions.

"Yet we shouldn't allow our differences to keep us divided, especially during this time of crisis. Our enemies would only benefit from our strife. If we are to overcome the machinations of Xehanort and Maleficent, then we cannot allow our differences to come between us. We need to rely on our compassion, our logic, our wisdom and most of all, our friendship, for that is what truly makes us stronger than our enemies."

"Well spoken, young one!" said Jack Skellington as he clapped his hands, while King Mickey and the others also applauded.

"Yes, yes, well said," remarked Scrooge McDuck in a slightly irritated tone, "but words alone won't solve our problems."

"Why not use words?" Mulan asked, "have any of us even considered the possibility of trying to negotiate with our enemies?"

"Are you crazy or something!?" exclaimed Ranma.

"Take it easy on her," said Sara, "she never went up against Maleficent or Xehanort directly."

"Then permit me to enlighten the lovely lady warrior from the mystic east," said Jack Sparrow, "creatures such as the malevolent Maleficent and the excruciatingly evil Xehanort, to reason with such as they would be a folly. Their own diabolical dementia prevents them seeing the sensibility of reasonable reality, savy?"

"If you mean that our enemies are too evil to negotiate with," said Mulan, "then yes, I understand. But that's no reason why we shouldn't try to talk to them."

"We're talking about two of the most vile, depraved, unreasonable, irrational beings in the universe," said Quistis, "trying to negotiate with them will only waste time, and probably tick them off even further."

"We're already on their hit lists," said Violet, "how much more ticked at us can they get?"

"We've yet to see the full measure of what Xehanort can unleash upon us," said Ansem, "while Maleficent's current incarnation has yet to reach its full potential."

"Which is why we should go on the offensive before they get any stronger!" Quistis insisted, "now, before whatever they're planning is put into play!"

"And just how are we going to do that?" Leon asked in an annoyed tone as he stood up, rubbing his left temple where a headache was brewing, "we don't know where their base is."

"We do know," said Sylvia Dunbar, "they've commandeered Castle Oblivion."

"And relocated it someplace where we can't find it," said Belle. She then looked at King Mickey, Donald and Goofy, "you guys said that you looked."

"Yep," said King Mickey, "we looked all over The Realms of Light, but that place isn't anywhere."

"It's like it disapproved," said Goofy.

"That's 'disappeared,' you big palooka!" muttered Donald.

"And entire world doesn't just disappear," said Ariel, "it has to be somewhere."

"Maybe the baddies made it invisible," said Melody.

"Don't be ridiculous, child," said Sebastian, "you can't make an entire world invisible."

"I wouldn't put it past Maleficent to do something like that," said Aurora.

"Nor my former stepmother," said Snow White.

"And if my former stepmother had magic, she'd do that as well," said Cinderella.

"And let's not forget Xehanort," said Sylvia, "the powers of a dark Keyblade Master are not to be underestimated. And of course, there's the rest of his dark cabal. My point is that if we blindly attack without gathering further knowledge on our enemies, we'd be walking right into our graves, while Maleficent and Xehanort are holding the shovels."

"They'd make a date of it, burying us alive," said Violet.

"Then instead of attacking we should defend," said Ansem, "which is why I support Professor von Drake's suggestions of orbital defenses and a fleet of warships."

"Thank you, my scholarly comrade," said von Drake as he cleaned his glasses.

"And just where are you going to get the funds for those warships and satellites?" Scrooge asked irately, "burst me bagpipes, man! Did you even consider where you would get the materials for the projects?"

"Did I consider where the materials would come from?" von Drake asked, "of course I considered where the materials would come from! What kind of crackpot scientist do you think I am?" he then stubbornly crossed his arms, "consider the materials, indeed. I did consider the materials. I'm still considering them in fact."

"I've done some considering of my own, in fact," said Lara as she sat down, while a roll of parchment and an enchanted quill, which she had summoned a moment earlier, was writing by itself, "I know I'm the youngest here, but it seems I'm the only one who's thinking clearlu." The quill finished writing and she read the parchment, "according to my figures, not only would the cost of orbital weapons and a fleet of warships bankrupt The Realms of Light, it would also require far more raw materials that on all of our worlds combined. And don't get me started on how much the factories to build the satellites and warships would cost."

"Well, so much for that plan," said Jack Sparrow as he leaned back and put his boots on the table, "I vote we enjoy what little time we have left for our enjoyment," he then uncorked a bottle of rum with his teeth, spat out the cork and began guzzling the intoxicating liquid.

"We're not dead yet!" said Quistis irately, "we can still do something!"

"May I ask something?" Jasmine said as she raised her hand, "it's something that's been bothering me since Aladdin and I first arrived here. Where are Sora and the others?"

"That's right!" Sara asked, "why isn't Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and the others here? They've got as much right to be a part of this conclave as the rest of us."

"They're probably the best chance we've got against Maleficent and Xehanort," said Beast gruffly.

"Hey, what are we, chopped liver?" Hercules asked.

"We can handle our own up to a point," said Mulan, "but if Xehanort and Maleficent go at us with their full forces, then we'll need Sora and the others."

"I'm sure they'd figure out something," said Ranma.

"Well, old bear?" Quisits asked Ansem, "why isn't our Keyblade Wielding friends here?"

"It wasn't my decision to not include them in the conclave," said Ansem.

"Uh…it kinda was my falt," said King Mickey in a nervous tone as he scratched the back of his head, "you see, they're at Hogwarts, and…"

"Hogwarts?" Victoire asked, "you sent them to Hogwarts while our enemies are plotting our very destruction!?"

At that The King and everyone else at the table saw Victoire, Teddy, Nessie, Jacob, Will, Kirjava, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Yuffie and the Gullwings, yet hadn't noticed the Gokaigers yet.

"Well, I thought they had enough to worry about," said King Mickey, "what with The Mark of Mastery and all, and…."

"That's no excuse to send them away!" shouted Nessie as she stomped up to King Mickey, "what were you thinking!? Having our friends leave this reality for another, while the rest of us try to figure out what to do about our enemies?!"

"Forgive me, but this was a really irresponsible mistake on your part, your majesty," said Will.

"You won't get any arguments from me," said Lyra.

"Thanks," said Will.

"I just wanted to give them a break!" exclaimed King Mickey defensively, "they've dome so much for us, I figured that we could handle things for a while, you know? And they'll also get in some training for when they become Keyblade Masters."

"Speaking of Keyblade Masters," said Selphie, "I just realized something; where's Aqua?"

"Aqua is on her own journey," said Ansem.

"What the hell does that mean?" Ranma asked.

"She's doing her own thing and we should respect her privacy," said Queen Minnie.

"So, let me get this straight," said Jacob, "the people, our friends, whom are the best in this universe whom can fight Heartless, Nobodies and any other vile abomination that Xehanort and Maleficent can throw at us, they're all doing their own thing?"

"Uh…pretty much," said King Mickey nervously.

There was a few awkward seconds of silence before everyone started shouting at each other again. The only ones not caught up by the chaotic vocal-conflagration were Captain Marvelous and his band of space pirates, whom were standing with their hands covering their ears, while Navi covered her ears with her wings.

"This is insane!" Ahim shouted to Luka, "we should do something!"

"Like what?!" Luka asked.

"They're so pissed with each other, they might attack us on general principal if we but in," said Joe.

"Well, we can't just let them shout their lungs out!" said Gai, "it's be a real mess."

"I'm open to suggestions!" said Doc.

Just then someone threw a water glass as someone, whom retaliated by throwing a plate. Weapons were soon drawn and fists were raised.

"That does it!" said Captain Marvelous. He then pulled out his Gokai Gun, aimed it in the air and pulled the trigger, setting off a thundering blast that got everyone's attention in a heartbeat.

"There," said Captain Marvelous as he pocketed his pistol, "you hear that? Silence, isn't it golden?"

"What the hell, man!?" exclaimed Tidus, "I thought you guys gave up your weapons at the space dock!"

"Not all our weapons," said Luka as she smiled in a teasing manner.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Ansem asked.

"We're space pirates," said Doc eagerly.

"Space Pirates?" Jack Sparrow asked as he stood up, nearly tripped, then walked over unsteadily and examined the Gokaigers, "pardon me, but you mates are too tame to be pirates." he then took another swig of rum.

"And you need to admit that you've got a problem," said Joe.

"We're pirates, alright," said Captain Marvelous.

"Are you now?" Jack Sparrow asked, "then tell me, my red-coated friend from the stars, what do you do to someone or something that stands in your way of what you want?"

"You smash it, of course," said Captain Marvelous.

"They're pirates," said Jack Sparrow to King Mickey and the others.

"Okay, we've established that," said Ariel as she, Eric and Sebastian eyed the Gokaigers with suspicious and somewhat unwelcome eyes, while Melody looked at them with fascinated curiosity.

"But what are you doing here?" Jasmine asked.

"If you're here to cause trouble," said Hercules as he cracked his knuckles, "you'll find more than you asked for."

"Damn right," said Sara, while Ranma, Will, Lyra and several others nodded in fight-ready eagerness.

"We don't want any trouble!" said Doc as he held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"We're just waiting for our ship to be repaired and we'll be on our way," said Ahim.

"And maybe get some shopping in," said Luka.

"But since we're here," said Joe, "we might as well help you guys out."

"We couldn't help but overhear your predicament," said Captain Marvelous.

"And what do you know about our predicament?" Violet asked.

"Enough to know that you people are playing right into the hands of your enemies," said Ahim.

"If your enemies could see you, they'd be laughing their heads off," said Gai.

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," said Leon, "Xehanort and Maleficent would die laughing if they could see us now."

"That would pretty much solve all of our problems," said Yuffie.

"Or they'd see our weakness and walk all over us," said Quistis.

"Exactly," said Joe.

"And exactly what do you suggest we do then?" Beast asked with a low growl.

"Stop shouting at each other, for one thing," said Doc.

"Would you mind telling us who you are before you give us advice?" Quistis asked.

"Oh, my apologies," said Captain Marvelous, "my crew and I've been in space for a while," he and the other Gokaigers introduced themselves, while King Mickey introduced himself and the rest of the conclave members.

"Wait, I know you," said Gai as he looked at Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora, "I heard stories about you on Earth!"

"Really?" Snow White asked, "what kind of stories?"

"How you were made a slave by your evil stepmother and she tried to take your heart," said Gai, "then you teamed up with The Seven Dwarves, ate a poisoned apple and wound up being brought back to life by a kiss from Prince Charming," he then looked at Cinderella, "and how your Fairy Godmother made those glass slippers for you so you could go to the ball," then at Aurora, "and how your pricked your finger on a cursed spindle and only true love's kiss woke you up."

"That's incredible," said Aurora, "how did you know all of this?"

"Everyone on Earth knows about you," said Gai.

"I thought that hardly anyone on Earth knew about The Realms of Light," said Cinderella.

"Not Sora's Earth," said Ansem in a thoughtful manner, "remember, there are an infinite number of parallel dimensions, each capable of infinite possibilities. It's logical to assume that on the world this young man came from," he then looked at Gai, "the exploits of many of our Princesses and heroes have been immortalized in fiction."

"You mean there's stories about me?" Aladdin asked.

"What about me?" Yuffie asked, "and what about Leon?"

"Now that I think about it," said Gai as he looked at Leon, "I think I saw him in a video game, he was the main hero."

"You hear that, Squall?" Selphie asked eagerly, "you're a video game hero!"

"Lucky me," said Leon in an uncomfortable tone.

"Are we in video games on your world?" Hayner asked, while Pence and Olette looked on with anticipation.

"Uh…I don't think so," said Gai, he then looked at Tidus, Wakka and The Gullwings, "but you guys are in a game too." he then looked at Tidus, "you're the main hero too."

"I've got my own story!" said a grinning Tidus, "how about that!"

"What kind of video game is this?" Quistis asked, "why would anyone give Squall, an emo git if there ever was one, his own video game?"

"I don't know, I don't play video games that much," said Gai, "I'm a Super Sentai otaku."

"Super Sentai otaku?" Quistis asked.

"Yep," said Gai as he confidently smiled, "and proud of it!"

"We wouldn't have gotten as far as we did without Gai-san's knowledge of the previous 34 Super Sentai," said Ahim.

"There's 34?" Selphie asked, "and…what, you guys are number 35?"

"_Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger_, that's us!" said Doc.

"So you guys know earlier Super Sentai?" Yuffie asked.

"We met some of them," said Luka, "you know any?"

"We teamed up with the _Hurricangers _and _Goraigers _not too long ago," said Tidus, "they helped save the world against a _Jakanja _plot."

"That's so cool!" exclaimed Gai, "was _Shurikenger _there?!"

"He helped fight a giant evil robot," said Selphie, "and then our friends teamed up with those ninja guys, along with the _Abarangers _and _Gaorangers_."

"Wow!" said Gai eagerly, "that's so awesome! What happened?"

"You can talk about it later," said Captain Marvelous, "we've got other things to worry about."

"Like how you all are going to get the funds and materials for your defensive plans," said Joe.

"First of all, invest for quick and high returns," said Doc, "use what you have to ensure you'll get more in the not too distant future. It may take a while but your investments will pay off."

"And barter for the materials," said Ahim, "trade with other worlds and realms. If they have something you need, offer them something they need."

"And don't hesitate to cheat the more unsavory business partners," said Luka, "not too much, you don't want them too angry with you. And of course, there's always outright thievery."

"Out of the question!" said Cinderella in an offended tone.

"You honestly suggest that we should steal what we need?" Snow White asked.

"You can't be serious," said Aurora, "are you?"

"Of course they are," said Jack Sparrow, "they're pirates."

"Well, forgive me for not agreeing to this plan," said Belle, "the last thing we need is to make any more enemies."

"Especially from those whom we wish to trade with," said Ariel.

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures," said Aladdin, "you've to do what you've got to do to survive."

"I can't believe you're thinking about that!" said an outraged Jasmine, "I expect something like this from Iago, but not you!"

"What can I say?" Aladdin asked in an innocent tone, "I spent most of my life as a street rat; it was either steal or starve."

"This isn't about a loaf of bread or an apple to fill an empty stomach," said Nessie, "this is about the life and freedom of every individual in The Realms of Light and beyond. I can see both sides of the argument, but I'm not ready to choose the lesser of two evils just yet. There's still other options besides outright thievery."

"We can at least get started with what we have," said Ansem as he looked up from a data pad, "with our current financial and material resources, we can build four to six defensive satellites for each world in the realms."

"That's not nearly enough," said Quistis, "our current projections say that a network of twenty-four satellites minimum are needed to defend each world. With nearly a score of confirmed worlds in The Realms of Light, and with more discovered on a semi-regular basis, that's at least four hundred and eighty satellites."

"Okay, we'll put the satellites aside for now," said Hayner, "what about a fleet of starships? Wait, forget about a new fleet. What about arming the gummy ships we already have?"

"We don't have nearly enough gummy ships for that," said Yuffie, "on the other hand, mass producing gummy ships would be quicker and a bit cheaper than designing a new type of warship."

"Not by much," said Scrooge.

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine," said Luka.

"At least we're making progress," said Selphie, "okay, putting the satellites and ships aside for now, what about figuring out what Xehanort and Maleficent are up to?"

"We need to find them first," said Leon.

"That can be easily solved," said Yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid," said King Mickey in a startled tone, "you…you've been quiet ever since you arrived."

"Yeah, what gives, oh wise magical sage?" Yuffie asked.

"I have been thinking, my friends," said Yen Sid, "about our current dilemma."

"As have I," said Merlin, "as have I."

"You've been awfully quiet too," said Lara, "so, what did your thinking come up with?"

"Something that may turn the tide against our enemies," said Merlin, "well, I hope it will, assuming we can get one or two essential items first."

"Assuming all can be put in place," said Yen Sid, "we would be able to locate where Xehanort hid Castle Oblivion."

"And then launch an attack on the bastards!" said Selphie, "fantastic! Of course, we're nowhere ready to do that, but we can be soon."

"In the meantime," said Ansem, "there's an idea of mine that I should have brought up first."

"Brought up first?" Quistis asked.

"Well," said Ansem, "it was my original plan, but the idea of defensive satellites and warships seemed more feasible, on paper that is. But while my plan is more practical, it would only be for a short term emergency and wouldn't be viable to implement on the other worlds in The Realms of Light."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, man," said Hayner, "what's the plan?"

But before Ansem could answer, Chip and Dale ran into the room, "Your Majesty!" Chip shouted, "there's a ship heading straight for the town!"

"What!?" King Mickey asked in a startled tone, while everyone else looked confused and worried, "what ship?"

"It came out of nowhere!" said Dale, "it's moving really, really fast!"

"And it's going to land right at The Bailey!" said Chip.

"Now what?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know," said King Mickey in a determined tone, "but I'm going to find out. Everyone, I'm calling a recess in the meeting. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this right now!" With that he hurried out of the room.

"Wait up, your majesty!" shouted Donald as he, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Queen Minnie and Daisy hurried after him. Followed by Quistis, Leon, Yuffie, Selphie and Ansem.

"Now what?" Doc asked.

"Now, we go outside," said Captain Marvelous. With that the pirate crew exited the castle as well.

* * *

**…The Bailey…**

A short time later found The Gokaigers with King Mickey and the others looking up at the sky out in The Bailey, waiting.

"Are you sure it's coming?" Yuffie asked.

"Positive," said both Chip and Dale.

"Look!" Selphie shouted as she pointed up. A small gray dot had appeared in the sky that rapidly grew into a gray and black Gummy ship that was trailing smoke from its engines.

"They're not slowing down!" said Leon, "if they don't, they'll crash!"

"You mean they'll crash right on top of us!" said Yuffie.

"No, wait!" said Luka as she looked up, "they're slowing down."

Sure enough, the gray and black Gummy ship rapidly decelerated less than a thousand feet from the ground, producing a loud shockwave that nearly knocked those below off their socks.

The ship then landed smoothly on landing struts and the engines shut down, but smoke still poured from them, while the hull was pocked with blaster marks.

"Good grief!" said King Mickey as he summoned his Keyblade and put the fires out with a Blizzard spell.

Just then the hatch on the gray and black Gummy ship opened and from it exited Pete, Katarina and Nikolai, all of them looking flustered and halfway exhausted, their clothes covered in soot and burn marks.

"We made it!" exclaimed Pete as he leapt off of the ship and kissed the ground, "sweet mama of mercy, we made it!"

"I told you we would," said Nikolai as he cleaned soot from his glasses, then cast a spell that removed the soot and burn marks from his green and blue wizard robes.

"I was never worried," said Katarina as she dusted off her bright yellow and orange dress, "but I'll admit, all those Zangyack ships, for a moment we wouldn't get through."

"ZANGYACK!?" exclaimed Captain Marvelous and his crew.

"Oh, you heard of them?" Katarina asked as she looked at the crew of space pirates.

"Never mind that," said King Mickey as he walked up to his former riverboat captain, "Pete, what happened on Zumakalis?"

"I'll tell you what happened on Zumakalis," said Pete, "we saw that the universe has been invaded!"

"Our deep space sensors detected a massive war fleet on a direct course to Radiant Garden," said Nikolai, "a simple scrying identified the invaders as elements of Space Empire Zangyack."

"We tried to warn yous guys," said Pete, "but them Zangyack jerks stopped us."

"They jammed all our signals," said Katarina, "which really sucked since I couldn't use my cell phone."

"Putting that aside," said Nikolai in a disapproving tone, "we had to warn you somehow, so Reddik and Rakel ordered the fastest ship on Zumakalis readied. They and the others are organizing a relief force while Katarina, Pete and myself went on ahead."

"And you're sure it's a Zangyack war fleet?" Joe asked, "and it's headed this way?"

"You better believe we're sure," said Pete, "they nearly stomped our guts when we passed them!" he then indicated the scorch marks on the ship.

"They barely touched us," said Nikolai, "what concerns me is that they didn't send anyone after us once we got past their formations."

"How many warships are we talking about?" Quistis asked.

"A lot," said Katarina.

"At least ten thousand," said Nikolai, "and before you ask, they will be in orbit around Radiant Garden in…" he then summoned a twelve-handed pocket watch and looked at it, "…in ten minutes."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed King Mickey.

Just then the sky began to darken. Everyone looked up to see the upper atmosphere swarming with Zangyack warships.

"Well," said Nikolai in a subdued tone, "it appears that my calculations were off a bit."

"You ain't kidding," said Katarina.

**The end of chapter 2.**

_Next chapter finds our buccaneering heroes caught in the middle of yet another Zangyack battle. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	4. Chapter 3: Let Battle Be Joined

_Last time found the Gokaigers getting involved in the Grand Conclave, helping to restore order among the feuding heroes and princesses. But just when it seemed that progress was being made, an unexpected warning fell out of the sky in the form of Nikolai, Katarina and Pete. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 3: Let Battle Be Joined**

"How many warships are we talking about?" Quistis asked.

"A lot," said Katarina.

"At least ten thousand," said Nikolai, "and before you ask, they will be in orbit around Radiant Garden in…" he then summoned a twelve-handed pocket watch and looked at it, "…in ten minutes."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed King Mickey.

Just then the sky began to darken. Everyone looked up to see the upper atmosphere swarming with Zangyack warships.

"Well," said Nikolai in a subdued tone, "it appears that my calculations were off a bit."

"You ain't kidding," said Katarina.

* * *

"The forerunning divisions have reached Radiant Garden, Lady Karlaz," said Vokarn.

"Outstanding," said Karlaz, whom was now dressed in her armor again. She and her inner circle were with Maleficent, Xehanort and the others on the bridge of the flagship, The Great Manticore, "how soon until the main elements are in orbit?"

"Less than an hour, my lady," said Huvnario Yr, "while we will be within broadcast range in fifteen minutes."

"Another outstanding achievement," said Karlaz, "just enough time for me to rehearse for my statement."

"What statement is this?" Maleficent asked.

"My offer for surrender, of course," said Karlaz, "I wouldn't be a proper empress if I didn't offer the peasants and common folk of Radiant Garden a chance to live. If they surrender, they will be welcomed into the empire with open arms, after the proper imperial indoctrination, of course."

"I thought you said you were only interested in conquest," said Lady Tremaine.

"You told us you were going to smash that world and claim victory," said Gaston.

"That was the original plan," said Vokarn, "but plans can change."

"What changed it then?" Regina asked.

"Two factors," said Uad'kexk, "first of all, the last member of Lady Karlaz's inner circle has _finally_," she said the word with a heavy air of exasperation, "finally rendezvoused with the armada and shall join with Lady Karlaz after she has established herself on Radiant Garden."

"You keep mentioning this final member of your cabal," said Sephiroth, "who or what is he?"

"A man that took more effort to recruit than you can imagine," said Vokarn, "Lady Karlaz believes he is essential in her efforts to claim the throne of Zangyack," he then frowned with annoyance, "though I fail to see why. That flamboyant fop couldn't even save himself from those filthy space pirates!"

"And yet he came closer than anyone else to destroying Captain Marvelous and his crew," said Karlaz in an admonishing tone, "save for my father, of course. But the pirates aren't here, and my friend's unique talents will be most beneficial to my bid for the throne."

"And just what will your friend do to help you become empress?" Xehanort asked.

"That's my dirty little secret," said Karlaz as she smiled mischievously, "but trust me, when my friend arrives and displays his talents, you will be thoroughly impressed."

"We shall see about that," said Maleficent.

"What is the other reason not to smash Radiant Garden and be done with it?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"One you would be sure to understand," said Karlaz, "profit."

"You cannot imagine the amount of funds Lady Karlaz had to spend to get this far," said Huvnario Yr, "and while her finances have plenty of reserves, it would be prudent to keep the coffers of the future empress as full as possible."

"I don't get it," said Dio Brando, "what's on Radiant Garden that's so valuable?"

"The Crystal Wastes," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "though at first glance it may seem worthless, the near planet-wide crystalline expanse holds vast potential wealth. Not only do the crystals produce oxygen in a process that mimics photosynthesis, beneath the crystals are gargantuan deposits of gold, silver and a rainbow of precious gemstones just waiting to be wrested from the soil."

"So as you can see, my friends," said Karlaz to Xehanort, Maleficent and the other villains, "Radiant Garden is a world worth keeping intact."

"You can still mine the world's resources after you smash the city," said Regina.

"But then I'd have to bring in my own slaves to reap the rewards from the ground," said Karlaz, "why bother with transporting slaves from my universe when there's an entire city of slaves just waiting to be conquered? If they resist they will be crushed into oblivion, but now that there's something worth taking from Radiant Garden, I'll offer its people the chance to live, if only to strip the hidden wealth from their world."

"Your logic is flawless," said Lady Tremaine in a flattering tone.

"Not to me," said Gaston in a hushed tone to his fellow augment, "if there's gold and silver on that world, then we should grab some of it for ourselves. Who should we let Karlaz get it all?"

"My thoughts exactly," whispered Lady Tremaine.

"And mine," said Regina to the two augments, "but now is not the time to stake claims on wealth that may not truly be there."

"You heard that insect scientist," said Lady Tremaine, "there's unparalleled riches just waiting to be taken."

"Where's the proof?" Regina asked, "I want to see real evidence of all that gold, silver and gemstones. For all we know, there's nothing there but rock. For all we know, this may just be a delusion of Karlaz that her cabal is playing along with."

"You mean…she's insane?" Gaston asked cautiously.

"It wouldn't surprise me," said Regina, "but there's nothing we can do about it this moment. All we can do is watch and wait."

"Speaking of waiting," said Gaston, "when do we move against you know who?" he then glanced at Maleficent and Xehanort, whom were observing a tactical display of the armada as it crept towards Radiant Garden.

"We strike when I say so, no sooner," said Regina in an insisting tone, "patience is all I ask of you. When the moment is right, we shall strike down Maleficent and Xehanort with enough force to ensure that they never rise again."

Just then Vokarn spoke up after speaking with one of the Sugormin, "Lady Karlaz, the advance divisions are in position and are awaiting your order to attack. Gormin and Sugormin landing parties are on standby as well."

"As are Action Commanders Domail Issavin and Yuosavak," Huvnario Yr. "All are waiting for your command."

"It is given," said Karlaz, "overwhelm that world's defenses and drive fear into the hearts of its people! Then I shall address those masses and offer them the chance to surrender."

"They won't," said Xehanort coldly, "as long as there's a spark of hope in those people, they will never surrender."

"Well," said Karlaz, "I'll just have to take away that hope, now won't I?"

"Indeed," said Maleficent as she and the others watched the tactical display on which the lead Zangyack ships had opened fire on Radiant Garden.

* * *

**…Radiant Garden…The Bailey…**

"Watch out!" Gai shouted as he and the others took cover behind some storage containers as the ships above opened fire. Blaster beams rained down like deadly hail, exploding on impact and sending showers of shattered metal, concrete and fire into the air.

"Gracious!" shouted Quistis over the blaster fire, "these guys mean business!"

"Why didn't you guys warn us that Zangyack was coming?!" Yuffie shouted at the space pirates.

"We didn't know they followed us!" said Doc.

"They couldn't have," said Joe, "we triggered a solar flare to wipe out the armada that attacked us."

"You triggered a solar flare?" Selphie asked, "how'd you do that?"

"We dumped all of our missiles onto a sunspot," said Luka, "take my advice; never buy weapons from The Slitheen."

"I'll remember that," said Leon, "but it's not going to help us right now."

"It's not gonna help anyone if we can't help everyone else!" said King Mickey as he watched building after building being demolished by blaster fire, "there's people out there! We've got to save them!" Everyone then ducked as three blaster beams impacted close to them.

"I think we've got our own problems!" shouted Dale as he and Chip cowered behind Goofy and Donald.

"The old sewer tunnels!" said Selphie, "they're perfect as bomb shelters!"

"Good idea!" said Quistis as she pulled out a PDA and began typing a message, "I shall send the word out to everyone to head underground!"

"What about Ansem and everyone back at the castle?" Daisy asked.

"The castle has its own bomb shelter," said Selphie, "our friends will be safe, believe it."

Just then several of the Zangyack warships descended towards the ground, lowering large chandelier-like devices that had scores of Gormin magnetically attached via their flat metal heads. The gray foot soldiers detached from the large magnets, while several Sugormin jumped from the ships, landing on the ground and began terrorizing the already terrorized peoples of Radiant Garden, shooting, stabbing and clubbing men, women and children without mercy.

"Goodness!" said a horrified Queen Minnie as she and the others witnessed the carnage, "they didn't even broadcast a warning!"

"Zangyack hardly ever warns its intended victims of the coming atrocities," said Joe, his voice heavy with contempt.

"Well, they're not going to ruin this world!" said King Mickey with grim determination as he summoned his golden Keyblade, "not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Darn right!" said Donald as he pulled out his wizards staff and Goofy pulled out his shield, while Leon, Quistis, Yuffie and Selphie pulled out their weapons as well.

"Hold it!" said Captain Marvelous, "you guys worry about getting the people to safety. We'll handle those mooks." At that Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and Gai nodded in agreement.

"What?! Are you nuts!?" Yuffie exclaimed, "there's like…a million of them and only six of you guys!"

"Yeah, but we knows these bozo's," said Luka as she cracked her knuckles, "we can handle them."

"It's okay, we know what we're doing," said Ahim.

"I sincerely hope so," said a highly skeptical Leon.

"We don't have time to argue like this!" said Gai, "you guys save the people, we'll take care of the heavy action!"

"Let them do it," said Quistis, "the longer we wait, the more suffering the people of this world have to endure!"

"Okay, we'll do it that way!" said King Mickey, "call the castle and tell our friends there to help save as many people as they can."

"While taking out some of the metal heads along the way," said Yuffie. She then looked at the space pirates, "hey, we can't let you have all the fun, right?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," said Joe.

"I hope you guys are prepared," said Captain Marvelous to King Mickey, "'cause things are about to get rough!"

* * *

…**The Market…**

It was pure pandemonium on the streets of Radiant Garden as the Gormin and Sugormin attacked the innocent people. Men, women and children ran in terror from the alien invaders, whom attacked them without mercy, shooting, beating and stabbing the people without offering a chance for surrender.

And in the middle of the throngs of Zangyack foot soldiers were two alien enforcers. The first, Domail Issavin, was a tall gray and green humanoid wearing bronze armor and wielded a massive halberd. The second, Yuosavak, was a humanoid robot with gray and blue armor, with one arm ending in a machine gun and the other with a missile launcher.

"That's right!" Domail Issavin shouted with vicious glee at the terrorized people, "run! Run from the might of Zangyack!"

"It won't do you fleshlings any good!" shouted Yuosavak. The robot then fired off a slew of missiles, destroying one building, while perforating another with its machine gun. At the same time, Domail Issavin shot green laser beams from his eyes, destroying a third building.

"Now this is what I call conquest!" said Domail Issavin, "weaklings to crush and no sign of resistance!"

"Unless you count this world's pathetic defenses," said Yuosavak, indicating the Radiant Garden Defensive System, whose white spheres and disks of energy were vaporizing a handful of Gormin at a time, but it was like empting a swimming pool with an eyedropper as more and more Gormin landed from the ships above.

"If that's the best this world can come up with," said Domail Issavin, "then we've got this campaign in the bag. And the best part, no sign of those meddling space pirates."

"I concur, my carbon-based comrade," said Yuosavak, "far too many of our fellow Action Commanders met their doom at the hands of those wretched wretches." The murdering robot then saw a group of women and children up ahead, cowering in the rubble of a collapsed building, "hark! My scanners detect a detachment of displaced humans! Should we attempt to detain them?"

"Lady Karlaz does want this world enslaved," said Domail Issavin, "but she hasn't given the order to stop the killing yet," he then glared at a squad of Gormin, "wipe out those pests!"

The gray foot soldiers saluted with a shout of 'Gor!' and advanced on the terrified group of women and children, the latter were crying in despair as they clung to the former.

But then came a burst of pistol fire that hit the advancing Gormin, dealing them massive amounts of spark damage that knocked them to the ground.

"What the!?" exclaimed Domail Issavin as he and Yuosavak looked to the side where the pistol fire came from. There, emerging from a haze of smoke was Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and Gai, dramatically walking towards the two Action Commanders.

"No way!" said a shocked Domail Issavin, "no freaking way! You pirates aren't supposed to be here!"

"Neither should you jackasses!" shouted Luka as she and the others stopped several paces from the two alien enforcers.

"But we're here," said Joe, "and we might as well put a stop to this obscene mess."

"And speaking of stopping things," said Doc, "there's a group of people you won't be hurting any time soon!"

The two Action Commanders looked and saw King Mickey, Leon and Yuffie hurrying the women and children towards an open hatch in the street.

"Keep moving!" Leon said as the refugees reached the hatch and climbed a ladder to the tunnels below, "one at a time but keep moving!"

"Oh no you didn't!" shouted Domail Issavin, "no one gets away!"

"Those who defy the divine divinity of the domination of Zangyack shall be dealt their decisive doom!" shouted Yuosavak.

"You sure use a lot of words for a robot," said Gai.

"He must have been programmed with a well rounded vocabulary," said Ahim.

"It matters not what my programming is composed of," said Yuosovak, "you shall be chastised for your cheek!"

"You ought to be worried about your sorry hides," said Captain Marvelous as he, Joe, Luka, Doc and Ahim pulled out their Mobilates, while Gai pulled out his Gokai Cellular and all of them pulled out their respective Ranger Keys, "alright, everyone! Let's do it!"

"Right!" shouted Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and Gai. The six held out their Ranger Keys as their Mobilates and Gokai Cellular opened.

"Gokai Change!" they shouted. Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc and Ahim inserted their Ranger Keys into their Mobilates, while Gai performed a few exaggerated movements before inserting his Ranger Key into his Gokai Cellular.

The first five then turned the keys and the top of their cell phones unfolded into the Skull and Crossbones of their emblem, while Gai's cell phone scanned his key.

Instantly, the six pirates were engulfed in multi-colored energy with a starry background, their clothes replaced by a black bodysuit and white gloves. The X's and a V shot towards each of them. The first X formed a white Skull and Crossbones emblem on their chests, the second X different colored pirate coat that matched the colors of their respective normal attire, the V formed a matching colored helmet and the last X formed a smaller emblem on the helmets.

With Gai he was hit by an bright white X, V and an I shaped like an anchor, all of which hit him from the head down. The anchor-like I formed the emblem, the X formed a silver coat and the V formed a different, more round helmet than the others.

**GOKAIGER!**

"Gracious!" said King Mickey as he, Leon and Yuffie witnessed the transformation. At the same time, the two Action Commanders and their Gormin and Sugormin minions took a step back in unnerved fright.

"Gokai Red!" said Captain Marvelous with a flourish of his left hand.

"Gokai Blue!" said Joe as he touched the top of his helmet with his left hand.

"Gokai Yellow!" said Luka as she moved her left hand to her right elbow, while her right hand made a flourishing V for Victory sign.

"Gokai Green!" said Doc as he wiped his gloved hands on his pants,

"Gokai Pink!" said Ahim as she placed her right hand over her heart and made a slight bow.

"Gokai…Silver!" shouted Gai with a flourish of his hands and a 360 spin.

The first five drew their Gokai Sabers and Guns, while the sixth pulled out a large silver, gold and blue trident.

"Kaizoku Sentai…" said Gokai Red, then all six said as one, "…Gokaiger!"

"Let's make a show of it!" said Gokai Red as he crossed his saber and pistol.

"Yeah!" shouted Gokai Blue, Gokai Yellow, Gokai Green, Gokai Pink and Gokai Silver and with that, all six Gokaigers charged towards the enemy. The first five space pirates fired their pistols, blasting several Gormin before the six reached the main group of enemies, hacking and slashing with saber and trident.

"Look at them go!" said an impressed Yuffie as she, Leon and King Mickey watched the fight, while helping the women and children down the hatch to the tunnels. They saw Gokai Red stab one Gormin, blast another, then kick a third.

Gokai Blue mostly focused on swordplay as he hacked and stabbed with his saber, cutting down Gormin after Gormin.

"Joe-san!" shouted Gokai Pink as she shot one Gormin, then kicked another. She then tossed her saber to Gokai Blue.

"Thanks!" said Gokai Blue as he caught the saber, then tossed his pistol to _Gokai _Pink. Gokai Blue then doubled his strikes, mowing down the Gormin like they were grass, while Gokai Pink shot up more of the gray foot soldiers, gracefully dodging their clumsy attacks.

Gokai Yellow and Gokai Green had already exchanged weapons, with Gokai Yellow attacking strings to her sabers and increasing her striking range, slicing down more and more Gormin. At the same time Gokai Green shot one Gormin, then dodged an attack of three of them, rolling to the left, then faking to the right, taking the gray goons by surprise and shooting them down. He then jumped over one Gormin and shot it in the back, then dodged more, only to run towards a wall, fake to the left and shot them down with a furious barrage of pistol blasts.

Gokai Silver was engaged in an onslaught of spear attacks against two Sugormin, blocking their attacks and blasts, then tripping them up and knocking them down.

But then a squad of fresh Gormin rushed towards King Mickey, Leon and Yuffie.

"Here we go!" said Leon as he readied his gun blade, while Yuffie readied her oversized shuriken and King Mickey readied his golden Keyblade.

But then Nessie, Jacob, Hayner, Pence and Olette rushed in. The three friends from Twilight Town stabbed, bashed and blasted the gray goons, while Jacob smashed and Nessie ripped them apart with lightning speed.

"What are you guys doing here!?" Yuffie asked as she threw her shuriken at a Gormin, "what's happening at the castle?"

"Will and Lyra have secured the castle with the others," said Jacob, "Ranma, Sara and Violet are helping get the civilians to safety."

"While we help drive these invading jerks back where they came from!" said Nessie as she grabbed a Gormin and threw it with enough force to achieve escape velocity towards the stars.

"What about Captain Marvelous and the others?" Olette asked as she shot a Thunder spell at a three Gormin.

"Do they need our help?" Hayner asked as he stabbed one of the gray goons.

"I think the enemy need more help," said Pence as he had a Gormin in a headlock and was bashing it in the head.

Indeed, the two Action Commanders were in dire straights. Domail Issavin was in a pole arm duel with Gokai Silver, with the later expertly wielding his trident against the former's halberd and losing, having massive amounts of spark damage inflicted on the alien, while Gokai Silver dodged and blocked the attacks aimed at him, striking back with unparallel accuracy.

Meanwhile, Yuosovak was also on the defensive, shooting wildly with its machinegun and missiles, yet all of its attacks were either blocked or dodged by Gokai Red, Gokai Blue, Gokai Yellow, Gokai Green and Gokai Pink.

But then both Action Commanders were knocked down. The first five _Gokaigers _stood a few paces from the fallen Yusovak, all of them holding their respective _Gokai Sabers_. They pressed a hidden switch and a special lock popped up. They then inserted their respective Ranger Keys into the locks and turned them.

**FINAL WAVE!**

They then shouted with fury as their Gokai Sabers charged with energy. Yuosovak struggled to its feet just as the sabers finished charging.

"Gokai Slash!" shouted Gokai Red as he, Gokai Blue_, _Gokai Yellow, Gokai Green and Gokai Pink swung their sabers at the enemy robot, unleashing energy slashes that hit Yuosovak head-on, dealing massive amounts of spark damage and causing orange energy discharges to shot out from its metal body.

"Impossibly inconceivable!" shouted Yuosovak as it fell down and exploded.

At the same time, Gokai Silver had inserted his Ranger Key into a special lock on his Gokai Spear and turned it.

**FINAL WAVE!**

Gokai Silver then jumped up as the tips of his trident charged with energy. As he reached the apex of his jump, he leaned back, aiming his trident at Domail Issavin.

"Gokai…Shooting Star!" the silver pirate shouted as he threw his trident at the alien enforcer. The trident shot towards Domail Issavin like a missile, hitting the alien enforcer and delivering massive amounts of spark damage and causing orange energy discharges to shoot out from his body.

"I should have gone to law school!" shouted Domail Issavin as he fell down and exploded.

"Alright!" said Yuffie as she ran towards the six space pirates. "That was so cool! You guys are so awesome!"

"Yeah, we're like that," said Gokai Yellow smugly, "we're like that."

* * *

…**The Great Manticore…**

"Oh, no! No! Impossible!" exclaimed Uad'kexk as she looked at a data screen.

"It cannot be!" said Huvnario Yr, "they're not supposed to be here!"

"What nonsense is this now?" Karlaz asked as she walked over to the two members of her cabal.

"My lady," said the cyborg majordomo in a fearful tone, "Yusovak and Domail Issavin have been destroyed."

"WHAT!" exclaimed Karlaz, her eyes blazing with murder, "who did it!? Who dared to strike down my beloved Action Commanders!?"

"Those bozos," said Dio Brando as he, Lady Tremaine, Insano, Gaston and Sephiroth looked at a data screen, which showed the six Gokaigers battling the two Action Commanders.

"What foolish costumes!" laughed Lady Tremaine, "honestly, what are they playing at?"

"Regardless of their looks," said Sephiroth as the video now showed the two Action Commanders self destructing, "they are most effective warriors."

"But who are they?" Gaston asked.

As if in answer, Karlaz drew her sword and before anyone could stop her, she cut the video display in half, causing sparks to fly from the destroyed screen.

"I'll tell you who they are," said Karlaz in a slightly unsteady tone, her voice heavy with hate and rage, while her eyes burned with equal fury, "they're the bastards who murdered my brother and father! They're the pirate scum who plunged my empire into chaos!"

"So, they are the Gokaigers," said Regina as she looked at another video display, which showed Captain Marvelous and the others talking to Yuffie, Leon and King Mickey.

"They don't look that impressive," said Gaston.

"Underestimating the enemy has always been the downfall of those who walk in the dark," said Huvnario Yr.

"Well, they'd better not underestimate me!" spat Karlaz as she glared at the screen, "Those filthy pirate scum! What in the name of the thirteen hells are they doing here!?"

"I thought there were only seven hells," said Gaston.

"No, there's nine," said Dio Brando.

"Does it really matter?" Sephiroth asked, "Hell is Hell."

"My lady," said Huvnario Yr in a calming tone, "please, do not let those wretches upset you."

"Upset? Upset!?" exclaimed Karlaz, "my dear Huvnario Yr, you have not yet seen me upset. Now, I want to know what those miserable Gokaigers are doing on Radiant Garden and I want to know now!"

"They're obviously making mincemeat out of your enforcers," said Lady Tremaine dryly.

"Which goes to show that your Action Commanders aren't all that, if you know what I mean," said Dio Brando.

"Watch it, _petaQ_!" snapped Uad'kexk in a hissing tone, "or I'll throw you out the nearest airlock."

"Assuming I don't skin him first," said Janicia.

"Hey, there's plenty of me for the both of you alien lovelies," said Dio Brando in a lustful tone, "if you catch my drift."

"I caught it, you human degenerate," said Janicia in a contemptuous tone.

"Enough fooling around!" snapped Karlaz, "those meddling space pirates are at it again; ruining the plans of Zangyack! Well, they won't get away with it this time, not if I have something to say about it! Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo! Prepare the Enlargement Cannons!"

"Uh…that might be a problem, Lady Karlaz," said the insect scientist, "the transition to this universe damaged the central computer system. Most of the errors have been corrected but the Enlargement Cannons aren't fully operational. We can only enlarge one of the fallen Action Commanders and at the most, he'll be only ten meters tall."

"It's better than nothing, Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr in a placating manner, sensing that Karlaz was on the verge of losing her temper.

"Yes, better than nothing," she then looked the insect scientist, "revive and enlarge Yuosavak!"

"Yes, Lady Karlaz," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo. He then walked over to a computer terminal that had a tactical display of the battle below. Attached to the computer was a ray gun-like device with crosshair sights. The insect scientist then picked up the ray gun, aimed at the map and pulled the trigger.

Outside two energy cannons appeared on the forepaws of the 'manticore' and fired twin purple beams at the world below.

* * *

…**The Market…**

Everyone looked up at the two purple laser beams hitting the spot where Yusoavak exploded. As the beams stopped, Yusoavak was revived and grew to a height of ten meters.

"Yes!" shouted the alien robot, "I'm back!" he then fired his lasers and missles, destroying more nearby buildings.

"I thought that thing was destroyed!" Hayner shouted as he, Pence, Olette, Nessie, Jacob, The King, Leon and Yuffie took cover.

"We did!" said Gokai Yellow, "but I thought we also destroyed the enlargement cannons when we took out Akudos Gill!"

"They must have built another pair," said Gokai Green.

"Gee, is it that obvious?" Jacob asked. They all then ducked as another building was destroyed by missile fire.

"It's not as big as they normally get," said Gokai Blue, "but without Gokai Galleon, fighting that thing will be a lot harder."

"We'll just have to smash it the hard way then!" said Gokai Red. He then shot his pistol up at Yusoavak, the blast barely scratching the enlarged alien robot but it succeeded in grabbing the creature's attention.

"I'll crush you pirates like vermin!" shouted Yusoavak as he lumbered towards the space pirates.

"Crush this!" shouted Nessie as she rushed at Yusoavak, only to be nearly cooked by a laser blast, then had to dodge a barrage of missiles. Jacob managed to pull her out of the way of another laser blast.

"We'll never get close enough to attack it!" shouted Pence.

But then Hercules appeared behind the enlarged alien robot, grabbed it by the left ankle and lifted it up, causing Yusoavak to fall backwards, crashing to the ground loudly.

Mulan then rushed in and stabbed one of the creature's laser cannons, while Hercules ripped off one of the missile launchers. Nessie and Jacob rushed in and destroyed more of the robot's weapons.

"Let's try a combined attack!" said Gokai Blue as he and Gokai Yellow handed their pistols to Gokai Green and Gokai Pink and took their sabers.

"Alright!" said Gokai Silver as he altered his Gokai Spear into a blaster rifle form. The first five Gokaigers then inserted their Ranger Keys and a set of duplicates into their weapons, one in their pistols, the other in the sabers, and turned the keys. At the same time, Gokai Silver turned his ranger key. All this happened just as Yusoavak was getting back up.

** FINAL WAVE!**

"Gokai Scramble!" shouted Gokai Red. Gokai Blue and Gokai Yellow slashed their sabers, Gokai Green and Gokai Pink fired their pistols and Gokai Red shot his pistol and slashed his saber.

At the same time, Gokai Silver aimed his blaster riffle at the enlarged alien robot, "Gokai Supernova!" he then pulled the trigger, producing an enormous energy blast with a recoil that sent him flying back several paces..

The combined attacks hit Yusoavak, producing a deluge of spark damage and causing the alien robot to crackle with crimson energy.

"No! I just got back!" shouted the alien robot, "it's not fair!" he then fell down and exploded.

"Is he gone for good now?" Nessie asked as she, Jacob, Hercules and Mulan rushed over.

"Yes, he's done," said Gokai Blue. With that he and the other space pirates powered down to their normal attire.

"But we're not done yet," said Captain Marvelous as he looked up at the many Zangyack warships that were still landing Gormin and Sugormin onto the city streets.

"We've got to do something about those ships!" said Nessie, "if only I can jump high enough to get onto one of them."

"Even your mom and dad can't jump that high," said Jacob, "but what about Gummy ships?"

Just then Captain Marvelous' Mobalite rang with an incoming call, which he answered, "hello?"

"Hey, pirate boy!" said Cid on the other end of the phone call, "you do realize that there's a huge fleet of alien ships flying around, causing all kinds of chaos?"

"It crossed my mind, old man," said Captain Marvelous as his crew and the others gathered around to listen to the phone call.

"Good, just checking," said Cid, "look, I've got my workshop and spaceport on an emergency lockdown, never thought I'd ever have to use that. Anyway, all the ships in the docks and in my workshops safe underground and I'll keep working on your big ship. I gotta tell ya, that ship of yours is a beauty, and powerful."

"I'm glad you like her," said Captain Marvelous, "so, when can you have her fixed up?"

"Uh…there might be a problem with that," said Cid, "you see, I've only got myself and a few Handy Helpers to work with here, so it'll be a couple hours before I get your ship ready to fly and fight."

"A couple hours!?" exclaimed Doc.

"Hey, if I had more help it'd be sooner!" said Cid irately, "all my assistants ran for cover as soon as the shooting started. I'm safe for now but if they seriously try to blast through my blast doors, I've pretty much bought the farm."

"We'll send someone over to help, Cid," said Leon, "the tunnels connect to your workshop and they'll be able to get in."

"I'd appreciate any help you can send," said Cid.

"What about letting us have a Gummy Ship?" Hayner asked, "something that'll help us fight back?"

"I'll see if I can get one ready," said Cid, "but no promises."

"Great," said Yuffie irately, "all the while the enemy has total air superiority."

"In that case," said King Mickey as he pulled out his cell phone, "I think it's time for Ansem to put his original plan into play."

Just then more Gormin and Sugormin approached the area.

"And our job keeps getting better and better," said Leon as he loaded his gun blade with blank charges.

"It's never easy," said Joe as he and the other Gokaigers pulled out their weapons.

"But it's always fun!" said Gai. With that he and the others rushed at the oncoming enemy foot soldiers.

* * *

…**The Great Manticore…**

"Damn them!" shouted Karlaz as she and the others watched the tactical display, which just showed the destruction of Yusoavak, "damn those space pirates to the deepest circle of hell!"

"Tenacious ones, those space pirates," said Xehanort.

"Just like some other meddling brats we know," said Dio Brando.

At that Karlaz glared irately at Dio Brando, "unless you want to lose your head, remain silent! Now, will someone deliver me some good news already? Or do I have to go out and get it myself?"

"My lady!" shouted one of the Sugormin at a secondary tactical display, "reports of enemy resistance are increasing exponentially."

Without warning, Karlaz drew her sword, beheaded the luckless Sugormin and sheathed her blade, all in less than three seconds, "that wasn't what I wanted to hear," she said as she brushed a stray strand of hair from in front of her eye.

"I warned you that they wouldn't roll over and surrender," said Xehanort as a pair of Gormin removed the remains of their decapitated comrade.

"It matters not," said Karlaz, "they will fall, all of them," she then looked at Vokarn, "General, signal the special strike team to deploy. We shall join them on the surface after they've accomplished their mission."

"I obey, Lady Karlaz," said Vokarn.

"What special mission is this?" Maleficent asked.

"It's all part of the surprise, my friend," said Karlaz, "all part of the surprise. In the meantime, I want all those fools on Radiant Garden to know exactly what I'm capable of and exactly what I'm going to do to them! Helmsman! Bring the ship into orbit, Prepare my shuttle to land at the rendezvous point! Communications! Prepare to broadcast, but direct the signal to the space pirates."

"What are you up to now?" Xehanort asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to finish those pieces of space trash myself!" said Karlaz, "and I want them to know that I'm coming for them," she then glared at Xehanort, Maleficent and the other villains, "got a problem with that?"

"Not in the slightest," said Maleficent, "however, it would be prudent if my associates and I were to join you in your vendetta. It would seem that your enemies and my enemies have joined forces."

"It would seem so," said Karlaz, "very well, we shall crush our combined enemies together," she then smiled wickedly, "and afterwards we'll celebrate with cake and pie!"

"What kind of pie?" Gaston asked.

"Whatever kind you wish," said Karlaz happily, "personally I prefer yellow cake with lime icing, while my favorite pie is snozberry."

"What's a snozberry?" Dio Brando asked.

"Must be an alien fruit," said Insano.

"My lady Karlaz, I must protest," said Huvnario Yr, "we have yet to secure the surface of the world. To land now and expose yourself to the enemy resistance would only put yourself in danger unnecessarily."

"Don't be ridiculous, Huvnario Yr," said Karlaz in an overly cheerful tone, "I can look after myself."

"At least allow me to go first, my lady," said Janicia, "I shall lead a detachment of Sugormin to secure a proper landing site."

"The prearranged landing site and rendezvous point will do," said Karlaz in an offhanded tone, "now," she then glared at her inner circle, "are you going to obey your future empress? Or am I going to have to throw you lot out the airlock?"

"That won't be necessary, my lady," said Huvnario Yr, "the ship will land presently and the broadcast shall be ready at your leisure."

"In that case," said Karlaz, "order the lead divisions to secure the landing site, while I'll pay a short visit to my beautician. I have to look my best for my enemies." With that she sauntered off of the bridge without a care in the universe.

"Is it me or is she insane?" Sephiroth asked Dio Brando.

"You're asking me that?" Dio Brando asked. He then looked at Insano.

"Don't look at me," said Insano, "I'm just the resident mad scientist."

"She's threatened to either behead us or throw us out the airlock at least once a week for a long time," said Janicia.

"She is mad," said Vokarn, "the stars help us, but Lady Karlaz is utterly and irrevocably mad. Yet there is method to her madness, and believe me, my friends, things could be worse."

"Worse?" Regina asked in an exasperated tone, "you're being lead by a lunatic, so how can it be worse?"

"Her madness has united enough of the old empire to make a bid for the throne," said Vokarn, "she has a decent chance of winning over her rivals, especially with this forthcoming victory under her belt."

"I'd like to get under her belt," muttered Dio Brando in a lustful tone.

"One more inappropriate word out of you, balls for brains, and it will be your last!" exclaimed Janicia, "Karlaz may be mad, but she has my undying loyalty. I would gladly sacrifice myself for her and her honor."

"We all pledged our lives to Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr, "nothing can break our bond with her."

"We are all prepared to fight and die for Lady Karlaz," said Vokarn.

"Such admirable loyalty," said Maleficent, "quite useful until you have used up your usefulness."

"True," said the cyborg majordomo, "Lady Karlaz could have us replaced at her will, but we know her and her quirks best."

"We know how to respond to her madness," said Janicia, "and how to counter her more irresponsible eccentricities."

"For all our sakes, I hope so," said Xehanort.

"If that lunatic thinks she can use us like disposable pawns," said Lady Tremaine, "she will regret it."

"What she said!" Gaston remarked as he cracked his knuckles.

"And if you think you can take advantage of Lady Karlaz's condition, you've got another thing coming," said Janicia.

"So long as we understand each other," said Regina.

* * *

…**The Market…Radiant Garden…**

"I just heard from Quistis!" said Leon, "all the civilians are underground!"

He and the others then ducked a blast from a Zangyack warship, then ducked three more.

"I'm getting a little sick of those things clogging up the sky!" said an irate Yuffie.

"So am I!" said Nessie as she looked up at the warships. She then looked at Jacob, "I'm going to ask you to do something you won't like."

"I know," said Jacob, "I don't like it but it's a good idea," with that he picked up Nessie and threw her at one of the Zangyack ships. She drew her sword in mid-flight and slashed at the ship, cutting one of its engines as she passed it. The ship spun out of control before colliding with another, causing the two of them to explode.

Nessie then landed on a third ship and cut off the engines, causing it to plummet to the ground. She then jumped to another and did the same.

"She's incredible!" said Doc as he and the other space pirates looked up.

"And reckless," said Jacob in a worried tone, "her vampire powers maker her smarter, faster and stronger, but she's not indestructible."

"Wait, did you say that she's a vampire?" Luka asked.

"Half vampire to be exact," said Jacob, "and I can turn into a wolf."

"A werewolf!?" exclaimed Gai.

"Shape shifter to be exact," said Jacob.

Just then Nessie jumped down from the ship she just disabled, landing perfectly in front of Jacob, "they're slacking off," said Nessie, "some of them are leaving the city."

Indeed, a good portion of the Zangyack warships were heading out towards the crystal wastes, while the remainder continued their bombardment of the city.

"Something's not right," said Captain Marvelous, "Zangyack, they don't break off an attack without a reason."

"And it's never a good reason," said Joe.

"I think I know what that reason was," said Nessie, "while I was jumping between warships, I saw a few more enter the atmosphere and land towards the crystal wastelands outside the city. The one in the middle was smaller, like a shuttlecraft, and it had a manticore embalm."

"A manticore?" King Mickey asked.

"Your majesty! Look!" shouted Donald as he and Goofy pointed to the rubble strewn street, where a section of the air was shimmering with multi-colored light.

"Now what?" Leon asked.

The shimmering then stabilized into a hologram of Karlaz, whom glared at Captain Marvelous and his crew. "Gokaigers!" she said hatefully, "witness your executioner!"

"Funny, you don't look like a proper executioner," said Joe.

"You seem to know us," said Captain Marvelous, "but who are you?"

"Of course, I should have introduced myself," said the would-be empress, "I am Karlaz Gill, daughter of Akudos Gill and heir apparent of Zangyack."

"Akudos had another kid?" Gai asked, "one was enough! And the father was no small fry either."

"Walz was my half brother," said Karlaz, "though there was no love lost between Walz, and my father for that matter, their deaths are on your filthy hands, Gokaigers!"

"Oh, so you're Akudos' bastard," said Luka, "how's that going for you?"

"Pretty well, actually," said Karlaz, "I am the last of Akudos' offspring. The throne of Zangyack is mine by blood and tradition!" she then glared at Captain Marvelous, "and you made it very difficult for me to stake my claim for the throne. By murdering my father, you fragmented the empire. I have to contend with scores of renegade nobles and warlords, and now I have to deal with you as well."

"So you followed us to the realms of light," said Captain Marvelous.

"Wrong!" exclaimed Karlaz, "you followed me! My original plan was to smash and enslave Radiant Garden, thereby giving me the victory I need to solidify my claim for the throne. But you, you disgusting, meddling space pirates, you had to ruin things by being here, didn't you!"

"We came here by accident," said Joe.

"A likely story," said Karlaz, "no doubt you've conspired with the natives to thwart my plans! You plan on killing me just like you killed my father and brother!"

"Lady, you're just as paranoid as your brother," said Ahim in a disapproving tone.

"I'm nothing like Walz!" snapped Karlaz, "Walz was a weakling fool! The only reason he was the heir apparent and not me because his spawning was the product of a royal marriage, while I was the daughter of a concubine. But that is in the past; I will lead Zangyack to new heights of glory," she then looked at King Mickey, Leon and Yuffie, "and I'll start by taking your world for my own!"

"I don't think so," said King Mickey as he glared defiantly up at Karlaz.

"We don't appreciate people whom are out to destroy us," said Yuffie.

"And while a lot of us are just visiting this world, we'll fight to protect it!" said Nessie.

"To the death if needed," said Jacob.

"What he said!" remarked Hayner, while Pence and Olette nodded in agreement.

"And we'll do the same," said Captain Marvelous, while Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and Gai nodded in agreement, "we'll show you exactly how we meddling space pirates deal with those who think they can trample over other people's hopes and dreams."

"We'll see who deals with whom," said Karlaz, "oh, before I forget, I'm here for more than simple conquest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" King Mickey asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," said Karlaz, "until we meet again!" with that the hologram faded out.

"What was up with that?" Pence asked.

"I don't know," said Doc.

"One thing's for sure," said Joe, "if that woman is indeed the daughter of Akudos Gill, then things are only going to get worse."

"How much worse can they get?" Yuffie asked as she indicated the warships still attacking the city.

"Much worse," said Ahim, "you've seen only a fraction of the numbers Zangyack can wield."

"There's probably several thousand more warships waiting in orbit," said Doc, "and who knows how many Action Commanders."

"Well, we'll just have to kick them back to where they came from," said King Mickey, he then frowned, "and then we'll have to work like crazy to clean up the mess. I just know Kairi's going to be madder than a wet hen when she finds out."

"Who's Kairi?" Luka asked.

"The rightful ruler of this world," said Leon.

"Assuming she ever gets tired of running around time and space," said Yuffie. She then looked at The King, "wouldn't this be a good time to send an emergency call to Sora and the others?"

"I would," said The King, "but it wouldn't work, not with Ansem about to initiate his plan."

"Would you please tell us what that plan is already?" an annoyed Olette asked.

But before The King could answer, there came an enormous explosion from the castle that startled everyone.

"Now what!?" Leon exclaimed.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Nessie as she looked towards the castle, "there's a huge hole in the side!"

Indeed, smoke was pouring out from a blasted hole in the castle walls.

"Oh no! Our friends are there!" exclaimed Yuffie.

Just then her cell phone rang, "it's Ansem!" Yuffie said as she saw the caller ID. She then put the phone on speaker, "Ansem, what happened!?"

"We were attacked by enemy commandos!" said Ansem, "we have several injured and some were abducted."

"Abducted?!" The King exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, my friend," said Ansem, "but Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine were taken."

"Well, that sucks," said Yuffie.

_**The end of chapter 3.**_

_Next chapter finds our heroes dealing with the fallout from the abduction of the Princesses. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	5. Chapter 4: Royal Abductions

_Last time found Radiant Garden under attack by the Zangyack Empire. Captain Marvelous and his intrepid band of space pirates joined forces with the heroes of The Realms of Light to repel the alien incursion, only to find out that their efforts may have been in vain. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 4: Royal Abductions**

Running like a bat out of hell, Leon and his group quickly reached the castle, with Captain Marvelous and his crew quickly behind them. Upon reaching The Postern, the heroes stopped and looked up at the damage to the castle. A hole at least thirty feet wide had been blasted outward and smoke was still pouring from the interior.

"Holy crow!" said Nessie.

"That's it in a nutshell," said Yuffie.

Just then a slightly scorched and soot-stained Mulan emerged from the castle, "thank the ancestors!" she said. She then stumbled and nearly fell but was caught by King Mickey. Everyone then noticed that Mulan had a large bruise on the left side of her forehead.

"What happened here?" King Mickey asked as he and Yuffie helped Mulan sit down, while Nessie hurried in and cast a healing spell.

"Ansem said that Snow White and the others were kidnapped," said Yuffie.

"Yeah, they were," said Mulan as the spell cleared up the concussion in her head, "I didn't see everything that happened, but we were taken completely by surprise."

"It's all my fault," said Ansem as he walked outside to our heroes. The old sage looked more tired and worn out than he ever had, his eyes carried a look of defeat, "forgive me, my friend," he said to King Mickey, "I've failed."

"I'll be the judge of that," said The King, "now, what happened? Tell me everything."

Ansem sighed before speaking, "I underestimated the enemy, plain and simple. While I was coordinating the battle in the streets and attempting to organize a means to regain air supremacy, I neglected the castle's subterranean aspects."

Just then Will, Lyra and their respective daemons ran outside to our heroes, with Will carrying Kirjava and Lyra carrying Pan, "Ansem, we've got the fire under control!" said Lyra.

"And we found Alice," said Will, "she's still shaken up but otherwise unharmed."

"They didn't take Alice," said Leon, "why?"

"Why did they take any of the Princesses in the first place?" Quistis asked as she walked up to the group.

"I do not know," said Ansem, "but one thing is clear, they came in through the castle's sewers, cut the power and had their way with us."

"We were completely blindsided," said Quistis, "these robotic commandos that kept saying Toe-gorm or something like it, they burst in from the lower levels and creamed anyone they ran into."

"Tohgormin?" Doc asked, "that's new."

"So Karlaz has a new form of mook," said Luka, "we'll smash them just like the rest of her cannon fodder."

"You'll find this type of cannon fodder a bigger bite than you can chew," said Kirjava, whom was holding her left front paw at an awkward angle, while Pan had several scratches throughout his body. In contrast, Will's leftarm was bleeding slightly while Lyra had identical scratches, some of them still bleeding slightly.

"It was utter bedlam," said Ansem, "the sudden loss of power only added to the confusion as one by one, our friends were incapacitated. By the time I restored power and organized a proper defense, the invaders had captured Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine. We tried to stop them but they detonated a bomb and escaped through the wreckage."

"A lot of us are pretty badly hurt," said Lyra as Nessie healed her wounds, healing Pan's injuries as well, "Aladdin has two shattered kneecaps, Tarzan managed to destroy two of the commandos, before he was knocked unconscious, we think he's in a coma, as is Phillip."

"Ranma and Sara took out three more," said Will, "he has five broken ribs and a compound fracture in both shins, while Sara has a cracked vertebra in her neck; it's a miracle she's not paralyzed."

"Who else is hurt?" Jacob asked as Nessie healed Will and Kirjava.

"Jack Skellington took out two before his bones were taken apart," said Lyra, "we're still trying to find all of him to put back together. Jack Sparrow's unharmed, though he's had a little too much rum. But the worst injured is Beast. The second we realized that the Princesses were captured, he ran after them like a demon. He managed to catch up with the invaders before they detonated the bomb and ripped five apart. He kept screaming to Belle that he would save her, but then the bomb went off and he caught the worst of the blast."

"Jesus Christ!" exclaimed Jacob, "is he…"

"He's still alive, barely," said Will, "Ansem had to put him in suspended animation before he bled to death."

"The stasis field will stave off the worse of his wounds until we can get him to a hospital," said Ansem.

"I'll see what I can do about him," said Nessie as she finished healing Will and Kirjava. "Anyone else hurt?"

"Just some minor scrapes and burns," said Ansem, "nothing serious. Alice on the other hand…"

"She was hiding in a closet when we found her," said Lyra, "she must have hid from the invaders when they attacked."

"But what about Snow White and the others?" Jacob asked.

"What about them?" Captain Marvelous, "what's Karlaz's plan in all of this?"

"I don't know," said King Mickey, "but we're going to get our friends back, no matter what. But first thing's first, we need to get organized again."

* * *

They went inside to the foyer, where a makeshift aid station had been set up. Those whom had been wounded were laying on cots while those unharmed where helping some healers, among them was Queen Minnie and Daisy.

"Thank goodness!" said The Queen as she rain up to King Mickey. They embraced warmly, while Daisy tackled Donald and peppered him with kisses.

"We're alright, Minnie," said King Mickey.

"Wish we were alright," said Ranma through gritted teeth as he endured the pain of his broken bones. His ribs had been taped up, while his shinbones had been set and in casts. He was sitting up, holding Sara's hand, whom was laying in the cot next to him, a brace set around her neck.

"Hi, guys," said Sara weakly, "I'd get up but the doctors say I can't move a muscle until they're sure I won't be paralyzed."

"We're just glad you're alive," said Nessie as she and Jacob walked over.

"It'll take more than a bunch of alien gombas to take us out," said Ranma.

"Tell us everything you can about these new Zangyack minions," said Joe as he, Doc and Luka walked over, "we may be able to figure out a weakness in them."

"What can you do about them?" Ariel asked as she and Melody helped with the wounded, while a healer was helping Eric with a dislocated right shoulder, while Sebastian's left claw was in a splint.

"We can kick their metal behinds, that's what," said Luka.

"Like you could do anything to stop them," said Ariel irately, while her husband, daughter and crustacean friend looked up at her with concerned eyes, "and just what were you doing during this crisis?"

"They were helping us," said Yuffie, "oh, you should have seen them! They were all, 'hey! You aliens can't go around hurting people!' and then they transformed and tore into the invaders like crap through a goose! It was so awesome!"

"Really?" Melody asked eagerly, "oh, I wish I had seen it!" she then looked at Captain Marvelous, "can I go with you for the next fight?"

"Don't even think about it, young lady!" exclaimed Ariel, "you are to stay away from those pirates and that's final!"

"But…" said Melody.

"Not one more word, Melody!" said Ariel, "not one more word or you're grounded for a month!"

"For goodness sake, child!" said an exasperated Sebastian, "Ariel, what is wrong with you?"

"You've been in a bad mood pretty much since we got here," said Eric as he got up, wincing slightly from his recently set shoulder.

"I have a headache," said Ariel as she rubbed her forehead, "it's nothing."

"You're wrong," said one of the healers whom was scanning Ariel with a PDA-like device, "your electrolytes are severely out of balance. Have you been drinking enough fluids?"

"Of course I've been drinking fluids!" said Ariel in an annoyed tone.

"But have you been drinking anything with salt in it?" Aerith asked as she walked over, "too much fresh water lowers your salt levels and can harm your brain chemistry, even kill you."

"Oh no," said Melody in an apprehensive tone, "I think I get it. The air, there's no salt in it."

"No salt in the air?" Ahim asked.

"We live by the sea," said Melody, "the wind carries spray from the waves everywhere, you can smell it miles inland."

"And Ariel's a mermaid," said Aerith, "salt is more essential to her than it is for humans."

"You're a mermaid?" a surprised Luka asked Ariel.

"It's a long story," said Ariel.

"Just hold on, we'll get you something salty soon," said Aerith.

"A pint of Gatorade would do the trick," Yuffie.

"I saw some in the kitchens," said Daisy, "I'll be right back," with that she ran out of the room.

Just then Hayner, Pence, Olette, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus and The Gullwings ran into the room, "Your majesty!" said Selphie, "the enemy has withdrawn from the city."

"It's true," said Hayner, "the warships picked up the remaining foot soldiers and they're heading for the crystal wastes."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Joe, "why aren't they still fighting?"

"Why didn't they call in reinforcements?" Doc asked.

"Just what is Karlaz up to?" Gai asked.

"We're going to find out," said Captain Marvelous, he then looked at Ansem, "is there any way to find where those ships are?"

"My computer can locate them easily enough," said Ansem, "and it will give me a chance to put my original plan into play."

"Is the plan for the planetary shield?" Yuffie asked, "I completely forgot about it."

"It is the plan for the planetary shield," said Ansem.

"What about it?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"It's just what I said it would be," said Ansem, "a shield that will encase the world in a protective field. While it will be unable to do anything about the enemy warships already in the atmosphere, but it will prevent Karlaz from calling in further ships from space."

"That'll definitely take the heat off for us," said Luka.

"Yes, but unfortunately it won't last for long," said Ansem, "the power generator for the shield will only last for 24 hours before burning out. Beyond that, we'll be open to further incursion. On the other hand, the shield works both ways."

"The enemy can't get in, nor can they get out," said Joe.

"Well have Karlaz trapped," said Luka eagerly, "right were we want her."

"But what about the missing Princesses?" Aerith asked, while two healers brought Alice in, the youngest of the Princesses of Heart had a faraway look on her face.

"We'll figure out a plan to get them back," said King Mickey, "we'll think of something, somehow."

* * *

…**The Crystal Wastes…**

A fortified pavilion had been set up around Karlaz's shuttle, with several regular warships had landed around the flagship like guards, while additional warships patrolled the skies. Gormin and Sugormin stood at the ready around the central pavilion.

"You certainly know who to travel in style," said Dio Brando to Karlaz as he and the other villains watched a squad of Gormin set up a command center outside, consisting of surveillance monitors, communication systems and a large dining table with comfortable chairs.

"Thank you," said Karlaz as one of the Gormin pulled out a chair for her to sit down. Another Gormin quickly served tea, "now, assuming the revised schedule is proceeding without incident, the next phase of the plan will begin as soon as my Tohgormin commandos return."

"Yet another aspect of your plans you have neglected to inform us about," said an annoyed Lady Tremaine, "what else are you hiding from us?"

At that Karlaz stood up and glared wrathfully at Lady Tremaine, yet her voice remained calm as a lake surface, "you should be grateful that I'd let you in on my plans so far. Keep pushing my buttons, human, and we'll see how easily the vegetable paste spreads over the toast."

"I…what?" Lady Tremaine asked in a confused tone.

"I thought so," said Karlaz. She then happily sat down and sipped her tea.

Sephiroth was about to make a comment about Karlaz's behavior, but a glance from Huvnario Yr told him to keep his mouth shut, least he risk losing his tongue.

"I'd still like to know what your endgame is," said Dio Brando.

"All will be revealed in due time," said Karlaz.

Just then a Gormin ran up and whispered something into Karlaz's ear. "What? So soon?" the would-be empress asked in a surprised and delighted tone, "well, tell them I'll be right there!" The gray foot soldier saluted and marched out.

"Well, my infamous allies," said Karlaz to Xehanort and Maleficent, "you're about to hear the full story of my plan quite sooner than I had hoped. Follow me, you're in for a treat!"

"Do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Gaston whispered to Regina as the villains followed Karlaz and her inner circle to a partitioned area of the fortified pavilion

"I have my suspicions," said Regina.

"As do I," said Maleficent, "yet whatever our gracious and unstable host has in store for us, it will surely be worth our time."

"It had better," said Xehanort.

Inside the partitioned area were a dozen robotic warriors wearing green armor and armed with energy sabers and blasters. The twelve creatures were standing in front of a metal cage where five individuals were restrained inside.

"Ah, my faithful Tohgormin commandos," said a widely smiling Karlaz as she approached the green robots, "I trust your mission was successful?"

The green robots all saluted with a group shout of 'Toh!' before stepping inside, revealing Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine, all of them bound and gagged. Snow White and Cinderella looked terrified, Belle and Jasmine looked outraged, while Aurora was both angry and scared.

"Well now," said a surprised and delighted Regina, "this is a rare treat indeed!"

"How?" Lady Tremaine asked as she glared at Cinderella, "how did you do it?"

"My commandos are good at what they do, simply put," said Karlaz.

"Without a doubt," said Maleficent as she glared at Aurora.

"It can't be real," said Gaston as he glared at Belle, "it's a trick."

"It's no trick," said General Vokarn, "I trained the Tohgormin myself."

"As did I," said Uad'kexk. She then pulled out a remote that, after activating, removed the gags on the captured Princesses.

"Well," Karlaz asked them, "don't you have anything to say?"

"I want my lawyer!" Aurora shouted.

"Excuse me?" Maleficent asked.

"You heard me," said Aurora as she struggled to stand up, "since my friends and I are prisoners and you clearly intend to interrogate us, I should have a lawyer present before you ask any questions."

At that Dio Brando laughed viciously.

"What's so funny?" Jasmine asked as she stood up.

"You really think we'd let you spoiled bimbos have lawyers," said Dio Brando, "you're dumber than you think."

"Believe me, my feminine friends," said Karlaz to the captive Princesses, "I have absolutely no intention of torturing you for information," she then smiled viciously, "no, I have something more excruciating in store for you."

"Then what are you going to do to them?" Regina asked.

"Yes, what are you going to do to us?" Belle asked, "are you going to try and use us to open Kingdom Hearts again?"

"That didn't work the last time," said Jasmine.

"And you would have killed us already if you wanted to," said Aurora. She then looked at Maleficent, "so why wait? You cursed me when I was a baby, doomed to die on my 16th birthday. It didn't work then, so are you going to finish what you started?"

"Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than to see you utterly annihilated," said Maleficent, "yet I am prepared to stave my vengeance for the time being."

"Well, I'm not gonna wait!" said an irate Gaston, "Belle and I have unfinished business!"

"As do I with Cinderella!" said Lady Tremaine, "that slip of a girl has a lot to answer for!"

"What do I have to answer to you for?" Cinderella asked, "I've done nothing to you, where as you inflicted so much misery on me!"

"And I would inflict a thousand more torments on you, you stupid little girl!" snapped Tremaine, "everything was going according to plan when you interfered! You showed up at the ball and stole the prince from my daughters! Then you stole him again by having that disgustingly perfect foot of yours fit that miserable glass slipper! Everything since then has been a vicious downward spiral! My daughters abandoning me, my decline in health, my cat, my dear, sweet Lucifer, everything that has gone wrong in my life is all your fault!"

"And you've got a lot to answer for too!" Jasmine snapped, "you made Cinderella a slave in her own home for years! You denied her happiness at every turn! You killed her father!"

At that Lady Tremaine was slightly taken aback, but then she smiled with vile vindictiveness, "yes, I admit it. I killed her father!"

"So, you did do it!" said Cinderella in a horrified and outraged tone, "I…I always suspected that you had something to do with my father's death, but I didn't want to believe it. But to hear you admit it, it only proves that you're a monster!"

"Just like you're a monster, Gaston!" Belle shouted, "you lived through that fall from the castle, but your recovery only made you worse! I can tell from here that you're even more cruel, selfish and downright rotten!"

"Rotten am I?" Gaston asked, "how can you say that, when I've been transformed into living perfection?" He then flexed his augmented muscles and posed, "how can you look at this image of male personification and call it rotten? Do you still prefer that twisted abomination, that Beast? How can you chose that freak when I can be your perfect husband, the perfect father of your perfect children?"

"Just thinking about bearing your children makes me sick!" snapped Belle. She then spat right in Gaston's eye.

"Nice shot," said an impressed Dio Brando.

"You bitch!" Gaston shouted as he wiped the saliva from his eye, "I will ruin you with my anger!" he then charged up his destruction beam, only to find himself dog piled by a dozen Gormin.

"I will accept no harm inflicted on our guests until the time is right," said Karlaz.

"Do you mean we are to just sit here while our respective nemesis's lay helpless before us?" Lady Tremaine exclaimed.

"These women are the bane of our existences!" said Gaston, "why shouldn't we take our revenge?"

"It's quite simple," said Karlaz, "what I have in store for them makes your plans in revenge seem like grammar school pranks."

"I can imagine quite a bit," said Regina as she glared at Snow White, whom was trembling with fear yet glaring back with defiant eyes, "years and years of isolation in a mental ward, my body broken and aged to ruin, I had nothing to do but think of revenge," she then looked at Karlaz, "but I am willing to wait in order to see what our gracious host has in store."

"Thank you," said Karlaz, "unfortunately there's two missing elements to my plan," she then looked at the Tohgormin, "you were supposed to grab Alice. Where is she?"

"Forgive us, mistress!" exclaimed one of the Zangyack commandos, "we searched for the youngest Princess of Heart, but she was nowhere to be found!"

"That's a pity," said Karlaz, she then looked at Uad'kexk, "are you sure that Alice was at the meeting?"

"Six of the original seven were at the meeting, Lady Karlaz," said the reptilian spy, "only Kairi is absent. Believe me, Lady Karlaz, Alice is here on Radiant Garden."

"Then find her!" said Karlaz to the Tohgormin, "find Alice and bring her to me! Fail and you will be tossed feet first into a meat grinder!"

The Tohgormin then saluted and left the area.

"They'll either come back with the girl or not at all," said Karlaz, "and speaking of either showing up or not, where is that resurrected fop?"

"Right here, Karlaz-chan," said a male voice from the other side of the area. There stood a man in his late 20's to early 30's with shoulder' length wavy black hair, wearing a red and white shaggy coat over a green linen shirt and black trousers, boots, a black felt tri-corner hat and a very smug look on his face. With him was a large robotic monkey that shuffled around him like a guard dog, a hatch-like chest plate with a dial lock on its torso.

"Well, it took you long enough to get here," said Huvnario Yr in a disapproving tone, "what kept you?"

"Sorry," said the newcomer as he walked towards Karlaz, his robo monkey companion following him, "I had to pick up my new toy," he then pulled out a gold and silver trumpet that had electronic components, "you wouldn't believe the line I had to endure at the music store."

"But does it work?" Karlaz asked, "will that tweaked trumpet of yours perform as expected?"

"It should," said the newcomer, "then again, this is a new _Rapparatta, _so there's no telling if it will work," he then walked right up to Karlaz, "but enough about such trivial matters, my darling Karlaz," he then took her hand and kissed it, "be honest, you missed me, right?"

"Bastard!" shouted Janicia as she drew all four swords and rushed at the newcomer, whom easily dodged the four-armed bodyguard, causing her to overbalance and fall on her face.

"Oh, sorry," said the man in a mischievous tone, "I forgot that you hate my guts."

"Lady Karlaz, let me vanquish this _petaQ_!" shouted Uad'kexk as she helped Janicia back up, "his every breath vexes me!"

"Mine as well!" said Janicia.

"As much as I find his quirks tiresome, my dear friends," said Karlaz as she pulled her hand away from the newcomer's, "I have need of Bosco Ta Jolokia."

"Who?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Bosco Ta Jolokia, at your service," said the newcomer with an elaborate bow. "And this is Terri," he indicated the robot monkey, whom then saluted.

"Nice to meet you," said Regina, "but what are you supposed to do in all of this?"

"You want to know?" Bosco asked, "I'll show you," he then walked up to the caged Princesses, "I thought there'd be six of them."

"There is one more, we'll get her," said Uad'kexk, "it's only a matter of time."

"Well, there's no time like the present to get things started," said Bosco.

"What are you going to do to us?" Aurora asked nervously.

"Nothing much," said Bosco as he polished his trumpet with a red silk handkerchief, "just take away everything that makes you special."

Before any of the captive Princesses could react, Bosco put the trumpet to his lips and blew a wavering, shrilling note that caused Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine extreme pain, the five of them falling to the ground, writhing and screaming in agony.

"I get that it's terrible, but it's not that bad," said Dio Brando as he and the other villains watched, "I can think of worse tortures."

"The sound isn't the only torture," said Karlaz as she grinned with mad glee, "yes, yes it's all coming together!"

Steams of white energy shone from the five writhing Princesses, pulled towards the insidious trumpet as Bosco played his sinister symphony. After a few more seconds, the malicious music stopped, the energy streams vanished as the five captive Princesses gasped with relief and passed out.

"And that's that," said Bosco in a satisfied tone.

"Is it accomplished?!" Karlaz asked urgently as she rushed over to Bosco, "do you have them? Show them to me!"

"Patience, my darling Karlaz," said Basco, "give my _Rapparatta _a chance to process. It originally could steal only one Great Power at a time, but you asked me to create one that can steal six at once." He then pulled out five spheres of glowing white light and handed them to Karlaz, "and here they are, as promised."

"Yes! Yes!" exclaimed Karlaz with vile joy as she held the five spheres of light above her head, "the powers of the Princesses of Heart! They're mine! Mine!"

"Okay, I'm lost," said Dio Brando, "what just happened?"

"How pathetic," said Insano, "even a child would understand what just happened."

"Really? Well, why don't you tell us what just happened," said Dio Brando.

"I shall explain," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"In sincerely hope so," said an annoyed Xehanort, "as much as I take pleasure in seeing these waifs suffer," he indicated the unconscious Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine, "I am growing impatient as to what Karlaz's true agenda is!"

"Power, that's what I'm after," said Karlaz, "it doesn't matter how many worlds I smash, how many battles I win, how many of my rivals eliminate. I will never be accepted as empress of Zangyack without more power, and that power shall come from The Powers of the Princesses of Heart!" she then looked at Maleficent and Xehanort, "well, what do you think?"

"I think you're both brilliant and insane," said Maleficent, "stealing the powers of the Princesses, rendering them powerless and weak is a work of genius. But how are you to use them to further your goals?"

"You want to know?" Karlaz asked, "you really want to know? I'll tell you. Once I have the powers of all the Princesses of Heart, I shall twist them into Powers of Darkness, absorb them into my body and I shall become a true Empress Of The Dark!" at that all of the Gormin, Sugormin and her inner circle shouted in triumph.

"And ambitious goal," said an impressed and slightly envious Maleficent.

"Yeah, ambitious," said Xehanort, "but it will amount to naught if you cannot secure the remaining Princesses."

"All in good time, my friend," said Karlaz, "all in good time."

* * *

**…Ansem's Office…**

As Ansem worked at his computer with King Mickey, Leon, Selphie, Quistis, Nessie, Jacob, Will, Lyra and the Gokaigers watching, Nessie and Lyra gasped in pain and clutched at their hearts, losing balance and nearly falling over.

"Nessie!" shouted Jacob as he and Will caught Nessie and Lyra.

"What happened?" Will asked.

"Something's wrong," said Nessie, "something is very, very wrong."

"More like terrible," said Lyra as she pulled out her Alethiometer from her small handbag and began turning the wheels to ask it a question, settling into her focused trance to achieve the answer.

"Whatever it is, you can bet that Karlaz is behind it," said Luka, "and I don't need to cheat to win that bet."

"You cheat at gambling?" Selphie asked.

"Only when I have to," said Luka, "sometimes the only way to win is to cheat."

"It's gone berserk again!" said Pan as he looked at the long hand of the Alethiometer, which was spinning around the thirty-six symbols on the face so fast, it could barely be seen.

"Slow down! Slow down!" Lyra shouted at the golden compass, "I don't understand! You're going too fast to make sense!"

"You're acting like that thing is alive," said Doc.

"It is in a way," said Will, "and it has moods."

"I think it's having a panic attack," said Lyra as she stood up, putting the Alethiometer away in her handbag, "all I could get out from it is that something terrible happened to Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine, something that will have dire consequences across existence if we don't rescue them."

"Well, it's simple," said Luka, "find Karlaz and her goons, bust in and rescue the Princesses."

"We'll have a devil of a time if Karlaz is able to call in reinforcements at will," said Ansem as he furiously typed into the computer, "but we won't have to worry about that for much longer. Tron, is program 'Global Wall' ready?"

At that Tron appeared on the main screen of the computer, "program 'Global Wall' is ready, Ansem," said Tron, "shield generators powering up. Time to activation…two minutes thirty seconds."

"I have a serious question," said Joe, "what's to stop Karlaz from using the ships she has on hand to attack the castle? Wouldn't that destroy the shield generators?"

"Not this model of shield generator," said Ansem, "you all are about to witness a grand fusion of magic and science. The generators are in fact powered by magic and are housed hundreds of feet below the castle foundations. The spells on the generators project up and out the castle and expand the shield around the entire world. Nothing will be able to get in or out for twenty-four hours."

Just then everyone in the room heard the sound of machinery powering up deep below them, "should we be worried about this?" Doc asked.

"It's perfectly normal," said Ansem, "I hope so."

"You hope so?" Luka asked.

"Well, I've never had to use this plan before," said Ansem.

"We've relied on crazy plans before," said Selphie to the Gokaigers, "it's going to be alright, I hope."

"We've used crazy plans too," said Ahim, "and sometimes there was no plan at all."

"And there's no plan like a good plan," said Captain Marvelous.

Just then the castle shook slightly and pulsed with magic.

"The shield is being projected as I speak," said Ansem. He then called up an outside image that showed a beam of magic shooting up from the tallest tower in the castle, projecting a blue energy barrier that began to rapidly spread across the planet.

"We've made our move," said Ansem, "the next belongs to Karlaz."

"Let's hope that it's not a game-breaking move," said Joe.

* * *

…**The Enemy Pavilion…**

Just then there was a commotion throughout the pavilion, "what now?" Dio Brando asked as he and the other villains saw that the Gormin and Sugormin were agitated over something.

"Lady Karlaz! Look!" shouted Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo as it pointed up at the sky. Everyone looked and saw the blue shield covering the world. Within seconds it had passed over the enemy encampment.

"What the hell was that?" Gaston asked.

"If I didn't know any better," said Xehanort, "I'd say that was an energy barrier of some sort."

"It is an energy barrier," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "one powerful enough to prevent any ship from either leaving or entering the atmosphere."

"We're cut off from the rest of the armada!" Vokarn shouted, "I cannot raise any warship other than those already here!"

"What?!" Karlaz exclaimed as she handed the five stolen Powers to Huvnario Yr, an outraged look on her face, "they dare separate me from my own armada!? Who would dare insult me this way!?"

"Most likely it was Ansem," said Insano as he looked up at the shield, "this looks just like his doing."

"Ansem the Wise," said Karlaz, "I'll crucify that man!" she shouted, "him and those filthy space pirates!"

"Space pirates?" Bosco asked, "you don't mean the Gokaigers, do you?"

"Do you know any other space pirates whom would strike such a nerve?" Huvnario Yr asked. He then signaled a Sugormin to bring in a black box that had several felt holders for spheres. He then set the stolen powers into the box, closed and locked it, handed the box to a group of Sugormin and approached the would-be empress, "Lady Karlaz, you must restrain yourself! This is highly unbecoming of you!"

"You want to know what's unbecoming?!" Karlaz demanded of her cyborg majordomo, "I'll tell you what's unbecoming! Meddling space pirates and uncouth peasants whom refuse to be properly smashed! That's what's unbecoming! This was supposed to be a simple campaign of conquest, and now thanks to the lackluster locals and those filthy Gokaigers, I'll be behind schedule!"

"What schedule?" Sephiroth asked in an exasperated tone, "I'm getting a little annoyed at the amount of information you've neglected to tell us."

"Same here!" said Regina, "I've had just about enough of this and I'm not the only one! This isn't the first time I've wound up in an unfavorable situation, but it's one where I'm wise enough to take my leave before it's too late."

"What about your revenge on Snow White?" Dio Brando asked.

At that Regina looked at the unmoving Snow White, pondering what to do for a few seconds before answering, "just what will happen to her now that her power is gone?"

"Without the powers that make her and the others Princesses of Heart," said Xehanort, "they will weaken and eventually fade out of existence. Unless their powers are restored."

"And I'm not giving them back!" said Karlaz "I planned their theft and they're mine to do with as I please!"

"Then my revenge is complete," said Regina, "Snow White is doomed," she then looked at Maleficent, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "as are the other Princesses. Our work here is done."

"As much as I want Cinderella to suffer even more," said Lady Tremaine, "knowing that her fate is sealed will be satisfaction enough."

"Same with Belle," said Gaston, "though I'll come back someday to rip apart that Beast of hers."

"Then let's go home," said Regina.

"I beg your pardon!" Karlaz shouted, "you do not have my permission to leave my presence!"

"Try and stop us!" said Regina as she summoned a Dark Corridor, but the black portal crackled with blue lightning and flashed out before it fully formed.

"What?" Regina asked in a confused tone, "that's never happened before," she then summoned another Dark Corridor but it too crackled with blue lightning and flashed out of existence.

"The shield, it's interfering with the casting of Dark Corridors," said Maleficent.

"It would seem that we are trapped here as well," said Xehanort.

"But for how long?" Dio Brando asked in a concerned tone, "I'd rather not spend the rest of my life stuck on this mud ball of a world."

"I'm working on it," said Insano as he furiously calculated on his PDA, "yes…yes…carry the 2, adjust for pi and factor in X…"

"Twenty four hours," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "that's how long the shield will last before collapsing."

"How did you figure that out so quickly!?" Insano demanded.

"I'm a genius," said the insect scientist, "plain and simple, and vastly superior to you, human!"

"You! Superior to the demonic mind of Doctor Insano!?" the goggled madman exclaimed, "I think not!" he then aimed his gloved hands at Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, which began to spark with multi-colored energy, "prepare to eat Finger Beams!"

"You want to a Beam duel!?" the insect scientist shouted as it aimed its forelimbs at Insano, which crackled with multi-colored lights, "be my guest!"

"Stop it! All of you!" Maleficent shouted in a voice so loud it nearly knocked everyone down, "look at you, bickering like little children! You call yourselves servants of the darkness? You are all pathetic! A disgrace to the forces of evil!"

"You're the disgrace!" Regina shouted boldly.

At that Maleficent glared at Regina with startled surprise and unadulterated outrage, "what did you say?!" the mistress of all evil demanded.

"You heard me," said Regina in a contemptuous tone, "you are the disgrace to evil! This is your fault and you know it!"

"And just what are you implying?" Maleficent asked in an acid-filled voice.

"If you hadn't insisted on joining with Zangyack, we wouldn't be in this situation!" said Regina, "we'd be back at our castle instead of trapped in enemy territory with a lunatic of an empress!"

"Don't call me a lunatic and I won't call you cookie," said Karlaz.

"Need I say more?" Regina asked her fellow villains. She then glared at Maleficent again, "as for you, I've had enough of you and your incompetent ideas, your lack of initiative and your boastful promises and you know what I'm talking about."

"You dare to challenge me?!" Maleficent exclaimed, "you, whom would still be a withered crippled crone in a mental ward of a hospital without my intercession, you seek to usurp my dominance!?"

"You said it, not me," said Regina, "I was merely complaining. But if you wish to fight for supremacy, I'm ready whenever you are."

"She wants to do it now?" Gaston whispered to Lady Tremaine, "but we're not ready?"

"And just when would we be ready?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Whether we're ready or not," said Sephiroth as his hands edged towards the handle of Masamune, "if Regina wishes to destroy Maleficent now, then we shall support her."

It was a tense moment as the two villainesses glared death at each other, but Maleficent backed down, "now is not the time for this bickering."

"Agreed," said Regina, "we have far greater issues at hand."

"Indeed," said Maleficent, "but know this. When the current crisis is resolved, there will be a reckoning between the two of us."

"I'll be waiting," said Regina, "so, what now?"

"Now we figure out how Ansem put a shield around the world and crush it out," said Insano, he then held up his finger triumphantly, "with Science of course!" he then laughed like the maniac he was.

"No, Ansem wouldn't have made it that easy for us," said Xehanort, "he'll have the shield generators well hidden so that the shield will have come down on its own before we find them."

"Then we might as well move forward with the original plan," said Karlaz, "capturing the sixth Princess and extracting her powers."

"You wish to keep going?" Sephiroth asked, "now, when you're cut off from reinforcements and no way to retreat if something goes wrong?"

"Yes, I want to keep going!" Karlaz shouted. "You got a problem with that, then you're free to go. Oh, way, you can't leave! You're stuck here with the rest of us chickens!"

"And you're following this lunatic," Insano whispered to Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "and even I say I'm mad."

"She pays well," said the insect scientist.

"We can still accomplish our goals," said Basco, "all of them."

"You're plotting something," said Lady Tremaine.

"Indeed I am," said Bosco as he smiled smugly while pulling out a gold-colored Mobilate and pressed 1 for speed dial, "I just hope this shield doesn't interfere with coverage."

* * *

…**Ansem's Study…**

Just then Captain Marvelous' Mobilate rang.

"You think it's Cid with good news?" Leon asked, "we could sure use some."

"You won't get any argument from me," said Captain Marvelous as he accepted the call and put his phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Marvy-chan!" said Bosco happily.

All of the color drained from Captain Marvelous' face as he gripped his Mobilate with fury, "Bosco," he said in a neutral tone yet serious tone as he put his Mobilate on speakerphone.

"Bosco?!" said a shocked Luka, while Joe, Doc, Ahim and Gai looked equally stunned.

"Who?" Will asked.

"Someone we thought was dead," said Ahim.

"Yeah, well, bad guys do have a habit of coming back from the dead," said Jacob.

"Don't remind us," said Joe.

"What's the matter, Marvy-chan," said Bosco, "surprised to hear my voice?"

"Not really," said Captain Marvelous, "I figured that dieing would leave the taste of dissatisfaction in your mouth. So, is it really you?"

"Remember that time we stopped on Anzania Prime?" Bosco asked, "when we got in trouble with those two girls and Aka Red had to bail us out of that sticky situation? Remember that, Marvy-chan?"

"Yeah, good times," said Captain Marvelous, "so, how did you do it? Why are you still alive?"

"You'll have Karlaz of Zangyack to answer for that," said Bosco.

"Of course, you're still selling yourself to the highest bidder," said Captain Marvelous. He then noticed that Ansem was furiously typing into the computer, while Quistis held up a hastily written note that said that Ansem was trying to trace the call.

"So," said Captain Marvelous, "what is Karlaz offering you for helping her with whatever she's doing? And what did you throw away in order to get it?"

"Actually, I've thrown nothing away," said Bosco, "I had already lost everything when you killed me, so when Karlaz brought me back, I had everything to gain."

"And just what is Karlaz up to?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"Oh, Marvy-chan," said Bosco, "you didn't think it would be that easy, would you?"

"Of course," said Captain Marvelous, "I want something, so I'm going to have to give something up."

"Don't give that freakazoid anything!" Gai hissed.

"Whatever he wants, he can't have!" Luka whispered.

"Is that the divinely avaricious I hear?" Bosco asked, "and what of the others? Joe, Doc, Ahim and Gai, how are all of you?"

"We were having an okay day before Karlaz started to ruin it!" said Joe.

"And now you're back," said Doc.

"Just like old times," said Bosco.

Just then Yuffie grabbed the phone, "listen to me, whoever or whatever you are! What happened to Snow White and the other Princesses!?"

"Who's this?" Bosco asked.

"I'm the last girl you want mad with," said Yuffie, "now what about Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine?!"

Just then Karlaz voice came over the phone, "they're alive, for now."

"You horrible, horrible woman!" Queen Minnie shouted, "let them go!"

"I'm afraid your friends are unable to even stand up right now," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "oh, forgive me, I am Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, chief scientific advisor of the new regime of Zangiack."

"What did you do to them?" King Mickey asked.

"No more delays!" Karlaz shouted, "you want proof that your precious Princesses are alive, I'll give you proof!"

* * *

**...The Enemy Encampment...**

"Open the cage!" Karlaz ordered. A pair of Sugormin bowed and unlocked the cage.

"Bring out….that one," said Karlaz as she pointed at Belle. The Sugormin then dragged Belle to Karlaz.

"Wake up!" Karlaz shouted as she shook Belle's shoulder, but Belle remained unconscious. "I said wake up!" Karlaz shouted as she slapped Belle, but to no avail.

"Allow me," said Insano as he pulled out a Potion, "use this," he then prepared to toss the Potion to Karlaz.

"Bomb!" shouted Janicia, whom then rushed at and tackled Insano to the ground.

"What the hell was that all about?" Dio Brando asked.

"Get off of me, you mad woman!" exclaimed Insano as he struggled to free himself from beneath Janicia, "if I wanted to blow up your precious mistress, I would have used an orbital death ray!"

"I know what he was getting at, Lady Karlaz," said Vokarn. He then pulled out a Potion and forced it down Belle's throat, which she swallowed on reflex. Within seconds, Belle was awake, but still weak.

"What…what happed?" Belle asked in a strained voice, "I feel terrible."

"You'll feel a lot worse before too long," said Karlaz, "you and your friends if your other friends don't cooperate."

"Belle?" King Mickey shouted from the other end of the Mobilate call, "Belle, is that you?"

"Yeah," said Belle weakly, "I…they did something terrible to me, but I'm still alive, so are the others. What about Beast?"

"He's in a coma but expect to make a full recovery," said Quistis.

"Where are you, Belle?" Nessie asked, "just hold on and we'll come get you and the others!"

Karlaz then gestured to the two Sugormin, whom then dragged Belle back into the cage and locked it.

"Your friends will remain alive so long as it pleases me," said Karlaz into the phone, "and it would please me greatly if you do as I say."

* * *

**…Ansem's Study…**

"And what do you want from us?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"It's quite simple, Marvy-chan," said Bosco, "you and one or two more of your friends hand over Alice and you'll get the rest of the Princesses back."

"It makes sense now," said Quistis, "you're out to collect the powers of all the Princesses of Heart."

"How'd you figure that out?!" Karlaz demanded, "there's no way you could have known that! Uad'kexk! There's a spy in the ranks!"

"Impossible, Lady Karlaz!" said Uad'kexk, "I trawl the ranks for espionage regularly. There are no double agents in your forces."

"Then how did they know?!" Karlaz shouted, "how did they know!?"

"I didn't," said Quistis, "it was a lucky guess."

"And a correct guess," said Lyra after looking up from the Alethiometer, "You can't hide from the truth!"

"The truth is whatever I say it is, human!" snapped Karlaz, "and the truth is that you will give me Alice or Snow White and the others will be tortured to death!"

"Forgive me, Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr, "but the shield?"

"Oh, yes, of course," said Karlaz in a subdued tone, "and take down the shield while you're at it. I'll wait one hour for you to deliver Alice to The Great Maw where you shall hand her over to my trusty bodyguard and majordomo. Once Alice is in my possession, I shall release the hostages. Fail to do so and I'll make them beg for death one by one!"

"You'd better do what she says, Marvy-chan," said Bosco cheerfully, "she means business!" with that the call disconnected.

"So do I, you son of a bitch!" said Captain Marvelous as he pocketed his Mobilate.

"Please tell me you traced them, old bear," said Quistis to Ansem.

"They're less than five miles outside the city," said Ansem as the computer screen showed a blown up image taken from a weather satellite, displaying the fortified pavilion and the enemy ships.

"I'm amazed they didn't take out this worlds' satellites," said Joe.

"You're not alone," said Ansem.

"So, what now?" Will asked, "what's the plan?"

"We go kick some Zangyack ass, that's the plan!" said Gai.

"I figured as much," said Will, "but how are we going to rescue the Princesses?"

"Without handing Alice over, of course," said Lyra.

"How is she?" Ahim asked.

"Still catatonic," said Lyra, "I tried using the Alethiometer to figure out how to help her, but all I got was 'wait,' simply 'wait.'"

"What kind of compass is that?" Luka asked as she pointed at the Alethiometer.

"A very strange and wonderful compass," said Pan.

"Did it say anything about how to rescue Belle and the others?" Yuffie asked.

"I…didn't ask yet," said Lyra.

"I already have an attack strategy in mind," said Quistis, "but it won't work. We know where the enemy is and their relative strengths. But by the time we get everyone into position, the hour will have expired and they'll begin torturing the Princesses. What we need is more time."

"We've got to stall them somehow," said Selphie.

"In the meantime," said Captain Marvelous, "let's get something else taken care of," he then looked at Navi, "bird, go help Cid get Gokai Galleon fixed."

"Good idea," said Joe, "if any more Action Commanders are enlarged, we'll be able to fight them better." At that Gai, Doc and Ahim nodded in agreement

"And see if you can figure out how much Cid's gonna charge us for the repairs," said Luka.

"Get to it, bird," said Captain Marvelous.

"You got it," said Navi as she took flight, "and stop calling me 'bird!'" with that she flew out of the room towards Cid's workshop.

"That's one thing done," said Selphie, "but we still need to stall the enemy."

"But how?" Yuffie asked,

"Excuse me," said Rikku, "but why not make them think they've won?"

"How would we do that?" Doc asked, "wait…yes, yes we make them think we're handing over Alice, but we stall the surrender with a lot of idle chat and compromises. And when we do hand over Alice, it's not Alice but an imposter."

"Exactly!" said Rikku happily.

"But who are we going to get to impersonate Alice?" Tidus asked.

"Don't worry," said Yuna, "we've got just the person in mind, someone whom can impersonate her perfectly."

"Who then?" Queen Minnie asked.

"You'll see," said Paine.

* * *

**...The Enemy Encampment...**

"Do you honestly think they'll hand over Alice so easily?" Regina asked.

"They will, they have no choice," said Karlaz smugly, "they won't risk losing their precious Princesses."

"But you have no intention of returning any of the Princesses, do you?" Xehanort asked.

"Not in the slightest," said Karlaz, "so long as the Princesses live, the possibility of their powers being restored remains."

"It's true," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "what was removed can be returned."

"So you are going to kill them," said Gaston.

"The honor of destroying them is all yours, if you wish," said Karlaz.

"The honor is most appreciated," said Lady Tremaine.

"You're insane! All of you!" Belle shouted.

"Not so loud," Jasmine groaned as she began to wake up, "my head feels like it's just been through a sandstorm to end all sandstorms."

"I just feel awful," said Cinderella as she, Snow White and Aurora woke up.

"What did you do to us!?" Snow White shouted, "I feel so…empty."

"They stole something from us," said Aurora.

"How right you are!" said a grinning Karlaz, "and soon, very soon, I'll steal that same something from Alice, and Kairi when the moment comes."

"I can only imagine the suffering Sora will feel when Kairi's power is taken," said Maleficent. "It will probably crush him into oblivion."

"No!" Belle said defiantly as she stood up, "you'll never destroy Sora!"

"And you'll never destroy Kairi either!" said Jasmine as she stood up, followed by Cinderella, Aurora and Snow White, "they'll be back and you'll wish you never even thought of attacking the realms of light!"

"And you'll be sorry that you even dreamed of coming to our universe!" said Aurora to Karlaz and her cabal.

"You make it sound as if this Sora is some kind of messiah," said Janicia.

"He saved the realms and many other worlds," said Jasmine, "and he's not going to stop any time soon."

"Perhaps," said Karlaz, "but he's not here, and when the time comes, I will seek him out and destroy him."

"After I take Ventus's heart from him," said Xehanort.

"Of course," said Karlaz.

"Ventus?" Snow White asked, "what does Ventus have to do with this?"

"He's the key to my final victory, that's all you need to know," said Xehanort.

Just then Bosco's Mobalite rang, which he answered and put on speakerphone, "hi, Marvy-chan! You come to a decision yet?"

"Afraid so, Bosco," said Captain Marvelous, "we'll give you Alice, but only if you give back the Princesses."

"Don't do it!" Belle shouted, only for Gaston to slap her across the face through the cage bars, knocking her down.

"Now, now, Marvy-chan," said Bosco in a taunting manner, "you're in no position to make demands."

"You want Alice, we want the Princesses," said Captain Marvelous, "you can't gain something without throwing something away, right?"

"I hate it when my own logic is used against me," said Bosco, "alright, but only one Princess, that'll make it a fair exchange, wouldn't you agree, Marvy-chan?"

"So long as it's fair," said Captain Marvelous, "we'll bring Alice to The Great Maw in one hour."

"See you, then Marvy-chan!" said Bosco cheerfully, then hung up the phone. He was then slapped in the face by Karlaz.

"You bastard!" Karlaz shouted, "you mercenary bastard! You had no right to agree to any demands from the enemy! I should render you asunder!"

"Relax, Karlaz-chan," said Bosco as he felt where he was slapped, "everything's under control."

"You shouldn't underestimate those fools in the castle!" said Maleficent, "no doubt they and those space pirates will plan a rescue."

"Oh, without a doubt," said Bosco. "but the question is, how will We stop that rescue attempt?"

"I'm more concerned about which hostage we'll exchange for Alice," Dio Brando said.

"You're not giving up Belle!" Gaston shouted, "I'm not done with you!"

"And I still have unfinished business with Cinderella," said Lady Tremaine.

"The only Princess here whom none of us has a personal grudge is Jasmine," said Regina.

"Yes, considering that Jafar is no longer among us," said Maleficent, "keeping Jasmine for torture would be redundant."

"Glad to know I'm wanted," said Jasmine sarcastically.

"In that case you're free to go," said Karlaz, "that is, free as far as The Great Maw and I have Alice. After that," she then smiled viciously, "all bets are off."

"Don't worry," said Snow White to Jasmine, "our friends will think of something."

"Yes, hope," said Karlaz, "I'm going to enjoy seeing you descend into the depths of despair."

"We'll see who falls first," said Belle.

* * *

**…The Great Maw…fifty-five minutes later…**

"This isn't going to work," said Quistis irately as she, Leon, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, The Gullwings and Captain Marvelous, stood protectively around the still catatonic Alice.

"Have a little faith," said Yuna as she, Rikku and Paine comforted Alice, whom was sitting on the ground, her eyes betraying a thousand-yard stare.

"If I remember correctly," said Tidus, "faith nearly destroyed an entire world."

"You mean that whole mess on Spira? With Sin, Yevon and that un-sent jerk with the hair antlers?" Rikku asked.

"You mean Seymour? The guy with worse hair than mine?" Wakka asked as he straightened his hairdo. He then frowned in confusion, "wait, why do I know that?"

"I think you're all remembering your past lives," said Selphie.

"That's great," said Paine in an impatient tone, "but this really isn't the time."

"They'll be here any second," said Leon, "I just hope Yuffie and the others are ready at their end."

"I just hope we can stall that bastard Bosco long enough," said Quistis.

"If we play on his vanity, he'll listen to whatever we have to say," Captain Marvelous said as he tossed a small crystal piece to a makeshift target on the ground, hitting the bulls-eye with hardly any effort, with the crystal piece joining several others that were on the bulls-eye.

"How do you do that?" Tidus asked, "hit the bulls-eye every time."

"The same way you get to a major concert hall," said Captain Marvelous, "'practice, practice, practice, that and wear a really heavy bracelet."

"I see, the added weight helps improve accuracy and strength," said Quistis, "I'll remember to incorporate it into the next semester at the new SeeD Garden."

"You mean we gotta wear weighted bracelets?" Wakka asked.

"Not just bracelets," said Quistis in an eager tone, "why stop there? Why not a whole line of weighted clothing? I can't believe we didn't think of this before."

Just then Bosco, Terri, Janicia and Huvnario Yr appeared, with the four-armed bodyguard restraining Jasmine.

"Ah, there you are, Marvy-chan!" said Bosco happily, "you look fantastic."

"And you look well, for a dead man," said Captain Marvelous.

"Monkey!" Rikku shouted happily as she pointed at Terri, "oh, it's so cute!" she then flew over to the robotic primate, "where did you get it?"

"I got her from a dealer on Raxacoricofallipatorius," said Bosco cautiously, while Terri and Rikku began chasing each other around the area, "what of it?"

"Raxacoricofallipatorius?" Captain Marvelous asked, "tell me, was the Raxacoricofallipatorian you bought your new minion from, was it of the Slitheen family?"

"Slitheen?" Bosco asked. He then laughed, "like I'd have anything to do with those losers. No, I bought Terri from a Tarkalian with a bad case of gas, kept farting the whole time."

"Did he have a strange metal collar around his neck?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"He did," said Bosco, "what are you getting at, Marvy-chan?"

"Oh, nothing," said Captain Marvelous in a mischievous tone, "so, are we going to do business or not?"

"We brought Alice, just like you wanted," said Selphie as she and Quistis helped Alice stand up.

"And we brought Jasmine," said Huvnario Yr, while Janicia kept Jasmine restrained.

"I can't believe you're doing this!" Jasmine shouted as she struggled to free herself of the four-armed alien, but Janicia wasn't letting go any time soon, "forget about me! Just get Alice out of here!"

"It's going to be alright, Jasmine," said Selphie in a reassuring tone, "everything's going to be alright, just trust us."

"I don't think I'm in the mood to trust any of you right now!" Jasmine irately.

"Your mood is irrelevant, young lady!" said Huvnario Yr, "so unless you wish to make this more difficult for all of us and more painful for you, I suggest you hold your tongue." He then noticed that Tidus and Wakka were looking at him with inquisitive eyes, "can I help you, gentlemen? Or are you going to continue to stare at me like open-mouthed frogs?"

"Hey, no biggy, man," said Wakka, "we're just curious."

"We just want to know what happened to your head," said Tidus.

"My head?" Huvnario Yr asked, "oh, you mean my cybernetic implants. I had the procedure done in order to increase my maximum mental processing. Running an empire the size of Zangyack can be so complicated, you would need a supercomputer in order to keep things organized."

"And security's a bitch," said Janicia, "the number of assassination attempts I've had to thwart would boggle your minds."

"And organizing a proper wardrobe must be a pain in the neck too," said Selphie, "I mean, you can't buy clothes for people with more than two arms in your average mall or superstore, right?"

"I had to spend a small fortune to hire a personal tailor," said Janicia, "Lady Karlaz insisted on it."

"We whom serve in Lady Karlaz's inner circle have our own tailors," said Huvnario Yr, "and must never wear the same outfit twice. Uniforms and combat outfits are accepted, but ever formalwear and casual wear are to never be repeated."

"Another of Karlaz-chan's little quirks," said Bosco.

"She seems to have a lot of little quirks," said Captain Marvelous. He then saw Quistis giving him a hand gesture that was almost unnoticeable, but was prearranged between them. The way Quistis scratched the palm of her right hand asked 'now?'

Captain marvelous responded by scratching the back of his left hand that said, 'not yet.'

The silent conversation went unnoticed by the three villains as Bosco happily said, "oh, you have no idea how quirky Karlaz-chan can be, Marvy-chan! I once heard that she fired her kitchen staff when they were just ten seconds late in preparing breakfast, and by fired, I mean she had them roasted alive."

"She didn't…eat them, did she?" a nauseated Tidus asked, while Wakka, Selphie and the Gullwings looked equally disgusted.

"Great stars above, no!" exclaimed Huvnario Yr, "Lady Karlaz would never do that!"

"Lady Karlaz may be eccentric," said Janicia, "she may even be somewhat mad, but she is no voracious eater."

"If she's so crazy," said Paine, "then why are you working for her?"

"You wouldn't understand," said the four-armed bodyguard, "how can you possibly understand what it is to be part of Zangyack? The greatest space empire in the history of the universe?"

"Lady Karlaz is the last living heir of Emperor Akudos Gill," said the cyborg majordomo, "unless you count her lush of a cousin, Baccus Gill. Regardless, by blood and tradition, the throne of Zangyack belongs to Lady Karlaz, and we, her inner circle, are bound by honor and tradition to serve her, no matter her state of mind."

"Funny," said Captain Marvelous in a contemptuous tone, "and here I thought that Zangyack as a whole was without honor."

"You're one to talk about honor," said Huvnario Yr in an equally contemptuous tone, "what honor does a pirate have?"

"A lot more than you got," said Captain Marvelous as he saw Quistis ask silently 'now?' He then silently told Quistis 'not yet.' He then addressed Bosco, "and a hell of a lot more than you'll ever have in a thousand lifetimes. Just how did you survive our last battle?"

"I didn't, Marvy-chan" said Bosco in a mischievous tone, "I died, and you'll never guess how I came back to life."

"You're a clone," said Quistis.

"A clone?" Tidus asked.

"A Ghola to be exact," said Quistis, "where clones are copies of life forms grown from cells of that life form, a Ghola is grown from the cells of a life form that's already dead, like, say, a fresh corpse."

"How did you know that Bosco's a Ghola?" Huvnario Yr asked.

"There are ways of knowing if you know what to look for," said Quistis, "anyway, both clones and Ghola's can have the memories of their original DNA donors awakened through complex psychological procedures. Would you like for me to explain?"

"Don't bother," said Captain Marvelous as he scratched his nose in a way that told Quistis 'almost time.' He then spoke to Bosco, "it doesn't matter if you're a clone, a Ghola or the real deal, I'll still destroy you."

At that Bosco smiled, "oh, I'm sure you'll find a way to kill me, Marvy-chan, but I'll come back, again and again, as many times as necessary to finish you and your friends off."

"I'm sure Lady Karlaz would allow the two of you the leeway to fight to your heart's content," said Huvnario Yr, "but we've dallied here long enough, so let us concue the business we've come to complete."

"Jasmine for Alice," said Huvnario Yr.

"Don't do it!" Jasmine shouted, only for her mouth to be covered by one of the hands of the four-armed bodyguard.

"It's going to be alright, Jasmine, trust me!" said Selphie. She then looked at the villains, "alright, you let Jasmine go and we'll give you Alice."

"I don't think so," said Bosco, "you give us Alice and then we'll give you Jasmine."

"No way!" said Tidus, "how do we know you won't run off with both?"

"How do we know there isn't a squad of your gray gombas in hiding?" Quistis asked.

"We brought no Gormin or Sugormin with us," said Huvnario Yr.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Yuna asked.

"How do we know that's really Alice?" Huvnario Yr asked.

"We'll just have to trust each other," said Captain Marvelous. He then glared at Bosco, "and considering our history, that's asking for a lot."

"I won't argue with that," said Bosco. He then smiled wickedly, "then again, Karlaz doesn't really want Alice, but rather, what's inside of Alice!" he then pulled out his _Rapparatta_, brought it to his lips and played his warbling, insidious music.

"What the hell?!" Quistis shouted as she, Leon, Selphie, Tidus Wakka and The Gullwings clasped their hands to their ears against the terrible noise, "I heard of tone deaf, but this is ridiculous!"

But after a few seconds, Bosco stopped playing his vile trumpet, frowning with angered worry, "something's not right. My _Rapparatta _should have begun drawing out her power almost immediately. But nothing happened!"

Indeed, Alice remained where she was, the same blank look on her face, the same vacant look in her eyes.

"Ha! I guess that clarion of yours isn't as cracked up to be!" Janicia smirked.

"No, the instrument was working," said Huvnario Yr, "and I doubt nothing the local fools could come up with could block it, unless," his cybernetic brain began blinking and clicking, "unless that isn't really Alice!"

"Well, I guess the jig is up," said Captain Marvelous. He then looked at Alice, "you can stop acting now and go nuts."

At that Alice smiled widely, displaying very large, white and sharp teeth. She then shouted something in an alien language, speaking in a voice that shouldn't belong to a human girl, and leapt right at Janicia, grabbing onto the four-armed bodyguard's head and covering her eyes. Janicia flailed around in surprise and anger, all four of her arms releasing Jasmine as she struggled to remove Alice from her head.

"Now!" Captain marvelous shouted. With that Quistis readied her chain-whip, Leon readied his gun blade, Selphie her nunchucks, Tidus his buster sword, Wakka his metal blitz ball and Captain Marvelous drawing his Gokai Saber. They all rushed at Bosco, Huvnario Yr and Janicia.

But then Gaston and Lady Tremaine appeared out of nowhere, as well as two dozen Neo Shadows, causing Captain Marvelous and the others to stop in their rush. The two villains then grabbed Jasmine.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, Marvy-chan?" Bosco asked.

"I hoped so," said Captain Marvelous, "just for once."

"Will someone get this insane human off of me?!" Janicia exclaimed as she struggled to remove Alice, whom was now pulling at her hair, giggling like a maniac. She finally threw Alice off of her, only for Alice to land on the ground on all fours. There was a short flash of light and there, wearing Alice's dress, was Stitch, grinning happily.

"What? What the hell?" a highly confused Janicia asked. She then glared wrathfully at Stitch, "what the hell are you?"

"Stitch is Stitch," said the little blue alien as he got out of the borrowed dress.

"Well, that was mildly amusing," said Bosco. He then looked at Captain Marvelous, "but now it's time to get serious," there was a flash of red light and Bosco had transformed into a menacing alien in red and black armor with bronze spikes, black gloves and boots and a head with a tricorn-like top.

"Shall, we, Marvy-chan?" Bosco asked as he pulled out a cutlass-like device, "right where we left off?"

"You mean with me sending you back to hell where you belong!" said Captain Marvelous as he pulled out his his Mobilate and red Ranger Key, inserting the key into the phone and turning it, "Gokai Change!" with a flash, he became Gokai Red.

**GOKAIGER!**

"Let's make this showy!" said Gokai Red.

"It'll be your final performance!" said Bosco. With that he and Gokai Red rushed at each other, exchanging sword strikes and blocks, while Gokai Red tried to shoot Bosco with his Gokai Pistol, but the vile privateer kept dogging the pistol blasts.

"Let's not let them have all the fun," said Janicia as she drew her swords.

"Indeed," said Huvnario Yr, "Heartless! Destroy them!"

"You mean these Heartless?" Quistis asked as she destroyed a Neo Shadow with her chain whip, while Selphie, Tidus and Wakka destroyed more with their weapons and Stitch ripped one apart.

"Pathetic!" said Lady Tremaine. She then powered up her torment beam, "I shall dispose of those miserable brats!"

"Save some for me to wipe out!" said Gaston as he held Jasmine tightly.

Just then Yuna appeared in front of Gaston, a tiny pair of pistols in her hands aimed at the mutated blowhard, "don't freaking move!" she shouted.

"And you stay put too, lady!" Paine shouted as she and Rikku appeared in front of Lady Tremaine, with Paine holding a tiny buster sword and Rikku aiming a grenade launcher at the former wicked stepmother.

At that both Gaston and Lady Tremaine laughed viciously, "oh, this is too much!" exclaimed Lady Tremaine between laughs.

"We're serious!" Yuna shouted, "we may be small, but we're tough!"

"You gotta be tough when you're this small," said Rikku as she released the safety on her grenade launcher.

"Oh, really?" Gaston asked, he then laughed again, "please, I've got better things to do than to pay with you pitiful pixies."

"Never underestimate the enemy! No matter how small!" said Janicia, "just kill them and be done with it!" she then jumped out of the way as Leon came slashing in with his gun blade, "hey! I was in the middle of a conversation!" the four-armed bodyguard shouted, "you are one rude human bastard!"

"At least you're not calling me an emo git," said Leon as he hefted his gun blade.

"Well," said Janicia as she hefted her four swords, "if you wanted to dance, let's dance!" with that she rushed at Leon, whom blocked her four blades with his oversized sword, then struck back, only for her to dodge with a backflip and counter with a kick to the midsection. Leon grunted in pain then recovered, striking back with an overhead slash that he turned into a side attack. Janicia blocked it with two of her swords, then struck with the other two. Leon dodged one but the other left a deep cut across his face opposite his scar, the two of them now forming an X on his face.

"Oh, that's gonna leave a mark!" said Janicia with vicious glee, only for Leon to strike back. She dodged his attack but her right top arm was deeply cut just below the wrist, causing her to drop the sword for that hand, "you bastard!" she shouted.

"Hey, you've still got three swords," said Leon.

"Indeed I do!" the four-armed bodyguard shouted as she rushed in with her remaining swords.

"Enough fooling around!" said Gaston, "I'm going in!"

"I said don't move, dirt bag!" Yuna shouted as she cocked her pistols, aiming them at Gaston's eyes.

"You can't be serious," said an annoyed Gaston, "do you really think those little pea shooters will hurt me?"

"Yes," Yuna said confidently. She then pulled the triggers, the pistols firing with the same force as normal-sized guns with enough recoil to send Yuna flying backwards head over heels. The two bullets then slammed into and destroyed Gaston's eyes, causing the brute to howl in agony and clutch at his face, releasing Jasmine. Stitch then ran in and grabbed her, carrying her to safety.

"No you don't, you little freak!" Lady Tremaine shouted as she fired her torment beam at Stitch and Jasmine. She missed then by inches and adjusted her aim, only for a large explosion to knock her to the ground.

"You shouldn't have underestimated us!" Paine shouted. She then looked and saw that Rikku was nowhere to be found. Paine then looked down a few feet back and saw that Rikku was on the ground, a dazed look on her face as smoke rose from the barrel of her grenade launcher.

"You okay?" Paine asked as she flew down and helped Rikku sit up.

"We really ought to get the recoil fixed on this," said Rikku as she held up her grenade launcher.

"You're not wrong," said a dazed Yuna as she flew over.

"What's the matter, Marvy-chan?" Bosco asked as he and Gokai Red continued to trade blows, "can't change forms? Lose all those precious Ranger Keys? Oh, that's right, you threw them all away!"

"We gave them back to their rightful owners!" Gokai Red said as he tried to shoot Bosco but missed, "we didn't need them anymore!"

"I'll bet you're regretting that right now!" said Bosco.

Just then there came a loud gunshot, followed by Janicia being knocked towards Bosco and Gokai Red, a dazed looked on her face and two of her remaining swords cracked. "What the hell was that?" the four-armed bodyguard asked.

"That was my gun blade," said Leon as he loaded fresh blank cartridges into the cylinder of his explosive sword.

"It would seem that we have a disadvantage," said Huvnario Yr. He then pulled out a communication device, "General Vokarn, some assistance, if you would be so kind."

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to send you a battalion of Gormin and a whole squad of Action Commanders," said Vokarn, "but we have our own problems right here!"

"What?" the cyborg majordomo asked.

* * *

…**The Enemy Encampment…**

"I said we're under attack, you pompous butler!" Vokarn shouted as he ducked a fireball aimed at him. All around it was pandemonium as Gokai Blue, Gokai Yellow, Gokai Green, Gokai Pink and Gokai Silver, along with Yuffie, Nessie, Jacob, Will and Lyra, ran amuck through the fortified pavilion, smashing and destroying Gormin and Sugormin left and right, but more and more poured out of the warships.

* * *

…**The Great Maw…**

"The exchange was a ruse!" Huvnario Yr shouted.

"Gee, is it that obvious?" Janicia asked as she stood up and pulled out fresh swords from a subspace pocket, "back to the pavilion!" She then looked at Bosco, whom was still fighting Gokai Red, "that means you too, dipstick!"

"No! We're not done here!" Gokai Red shouted as he pulled out his Ranger Key to charge up for a Final Wave attack.

"Sorry, Marvy-chan," said Bosco, "but we're going to have to cut our battle short! Terri!" with that the robotic monkey ran to her master. Bosco then spun the dial on Terri's chest plate and opened up the hatch and out popped a black and gray humanoid creature covered with poison-tipped tentacles.

"Later, Marvy-chan!" Bosco shouted as he, Janicia and Huvnario Yr vanished, as well as the still blinded Gaston and the blasted Lady Tremaine as the poison-tipped creature rushed at Gokai Red and the others.

"Did that monkey just pop a monster out of its tummy?" Rikku asked as Gokai Red, Leon and Quistis dodged the poisoned tentacles from the creature.

"It looked that way to me," said Paine.

"They can't fight that thing if they can't get close," said Yuna as she reloaded her pistols, braced herself against a crystal outcropping and fired at the creature, yet her shots bounced off its hide.

"And bullets don't work either," said Yuna.

"Oh man! What are we gonna do?" Rikku asked.

Just then Stitch ran back in, shouting in his alien language as he jumped onto the creature's back and restrained some of the tentacles. The creature thrashed about, trying to dislodge Stitch and lashing at him with its tentacles, yet Stitch seemed immune to the venom, in fact, he even grabbed one of the tentacles and bit the poisoned tip off.

Captain Marvelous then inserted his Ranger Keys into his pistol and saber.

**FINAL WAVE!**

He then fired a blast from his pistol and slashed with his saber, the two energy attacks combined and hit the creature, just as Stitch jumped away to safety. The creature then crackled with purple energy, fell down and exploded.

"Well, that was a waste of time," said Paine as she, Rikku and Yuna flew over to Leon.

"Not really," said Quistis, "we saved the princess."

"But the baddies got away," said Yuna, "especially that creep, Bosco."

"Damn it!" Gokai Red shouted. He powered down to his normal attire, "I really hate that guy," said Captain Marvelous.

"What'd he do to piss you off so bad?" Wakka asked as he and the others regrouped.

"He betrayed me to Zangyack," said Captain Marvelous, "And someone very precious to me paid the ultimate price."

"Well, he's never going to be on my Christmas list," said Paine as she, The Gullwings and Stitch, helped Jasmine over.

"Are you alright, Jasmine?" Quistis asked.

"I feel awful," said Jasmine, "and the others aren't any better."

"Hopefully, by the time we're back at the castle," said Leon, "they'll be back as well."

* * *

…**The Enemy Camp…**

"I don't believe this!" General Vokarn shouted as he walked through the fortified pavilion, most of which was on fire, "how did they get past our defenses? And you, Maleficent!" he then glared at the mistress of all evil, "you did nothing to stop those interlopers!"

"You didn't ask us to," said Maleficent.

"Still," said Xehanort, whom had sat out of the battle along with Regina, Sephiroth, Dio Brando and Insano, "we could have turned the tide against those fools."

"As far as we're concerned," said Sephiroth as he polished the blade of Masamune, "this whole mess was never our concern."

"If you have no intention to assist Lady Karlaz," said Uad'kexk, "then you're a waste of space and should be eliminated! There will be no waste in the empire once Lady Karlaz is on the throne of Zangyack!"

"Speaking of Karlaz, where is she?" Regina asked.

"That's what I want to know!" Janicia shouted as she, Huvnario Yr, Bosco, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, the last two's wounds rapidly healing, entered the ruined pavilion. "Where is Lady Karlaz!"

"I'm here!" Karlaz shouted as she walked out from her shuttle, followed by six Sugormin, "I wanted to kill those filthy pirates and their filthy allies with my bare hands," she then glared at Uad'kexk and Vokarn, "but these two idiots refused to allow me to even draw my own sword!" she then drew her blade and before anyone could react, beheaded the six Sugormin around her, "I can fight my own damn battles, damn it!"

"With all due respect, Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr in a placating tone, "you must calm down. Your general and intelligence officer were only concerned for your safety!"

Karlaz then bashed her cyborg majordomo on the head with the flat of her sword, "how can I ascend to the throne of Zangyack if I'm constantly smothered by my subordinates?! This whole situation is unacceptable! UNACCEPTABLE!"

"It's about to be even more unacceptable," said Dio Brando smugly, "the Princesses, they're gone."

"What!?" Maleficent snapped.

"They must have been rescued while we were under attack," said Vokarn.

"And we let them get away!" Regina snapped. She then glared venomously at Maleficent, "this is all your fault! You should have let us fight!"

"Don't you blame me for this!" Maleficent shouted, "I should render you asunder, molecule by molecule! Atom by atom!"

"That'll take too long," said Karlaz, "so let's save some time and put you in place!" She then seemed to vanish, only to reappear behind Maleficent, holding her sword at the throat of the mistress of all evil.

"I can take your head any time I want and there's nothing you can do to stop me," said Karlaz coldly into Maleficent's ear, "I've done my homework on your dark magic and have taken appropriate measure to immunize myself against whatever spell you throw at me. And before you even think it, I can have your comrades killed whenever I want as well. Don't believe me? Go ahead, give me a reason to prove it."

"No need," said Maleficent calmly, "I can tell just by your tone of voice that you have the advantage," she then looked down at the blade at her throat, "and by the steel you so expertly wield."

"Thank you," said Karlaz, "I was taught by the best. Now, do we have an understanding over whom is in charge of this campagin?"

"We do," said Maleficent, though she was already planning her revenge on Karlaz.

"Excelent!" Karlaz said happily as she withdrew her blade, "what's our situation?"

"We've lost half our remaining Gormin and Sugormin," said Vokarn, "while a third of the warships are too damaged to engage in battle."

"The Princesses are gone," said Huvnario Yr, "but the stolen powers are still secure."

"That's one thing going in my favor," said Karlaz, she then looked at Bosco, "did you get Alice's power?"

"Uh, sorry, Karlaz-chan," said Bosco, "that didn't work out."

"We were set up!" Gaston snapped as his eyes finished healing.

"And now those fools have Jasmine as well," said Lady Tremaine.

"They won't have the princesses for long," said Xehanort, "without their powers, they will soon fade away and die, while the consequences imposed on the rest of existence are…inconceivable."

"Screw the consequences!" Karlaz snapped, "Alice's power is still not in my possession and I want it!"

"That may be a problem, Lady Karlaz," said Huvanario Yr, "we may not have enough support to launch a frontal attack on the castle again."

"And without a doubt," said Insano, "Ansem is working on a way to keep the shield up longer than a day."

"Then we'll have to bring that shield down so we can call in reinforcements," said Vokarn.

"Indeed," said Karlaz. Yet the insidious would-be empress was unaware of the look of unadulterated hate Maleficent was giving her, while Maleficent was unaware that Regina, Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Insano were looking at her with anticipated eyes, eyes that sensed that their moment was near.

* * *

…**The Castle Library…**

"It worked, Marvelous!" Doc said happily as he and the other Gokaigers, met up with Captain Marvelous in the library where a temporary command center had been set up. Also there was King Mickey, Ansem, Quistis and Sylvia Dunbar.

"We snuck up on the enemy, burst in, smashed their mooks, grabbed the Princesses and got out without a scratch," said Luka.

"Super," said Captain Marvelous, "but we've got another problem."

"Several problems," said Quistis, "not only is that freakazoid Bosco working for Karlaz, oh and Maleficent, Xehanort and their goobers are with Karlaz as well, we saw them, but Bosco seems to be able to steal the powers of a Princess of Heart."

"That's exactly what he did to Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine," said Ansem gravely, "they're alive for now, but unless we recover the stolen powers soon, and I do not know how soon, they will die."

"I don't understand," said Ahim, "what's so special about these powers and why does Jasmine and the others need them to live?"

"Their powers allow them to bring joy, love, peace and light wherever they go," said King Mickey, "without that inner light that makes their hearts pure, they'll eventually fade away and die."

"It's worse, my young apprentice," said Yen Sid as he and Merlin walked in, "far worse."

"How can it be worse?" Joe asked.

"The powers of a Princess of heart," said Merlin, "the pure light of their pure hearts, maintain the balance between light and darkness. Without the lights shining from a Princess of Heart, the darkness will grow stronger and eventually snuff out all light. Without the Princesses of Heart, the light will go out forever."

"Well, that sucks," said Luka.

"What do we do?" Gai asked, "what can we do?"

"I don't know," said Captain Marvelous, "but we'll think of something."

**The end of chapter 4.**

_Next chapter finds both sides regrouping for the next round of the conflict, while some special heroes and villains will make their grand entrance. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then! _


	6. Chapter6: Reinforcements of Light & Dark

_Last time found our heroes reeling in the aftermath of Zangyack's invasion of Radiant Garden, especially the fact that Karlaz had orchestrated the abduction of Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine. It was revealed that Karlaz wanted the Princesses so she could steal their special powers, which was accomplished by the insidious nemesis of Captain Marvelous, one Bosco Ta Jakota._

_Seeking to capture Alice's special power, Karlaz arranged a trade with Captain Marvelous; Jasmine for Alice. Yet both sides double crossed each other, with our heroes coming up on top with a spectacular rescue plan that got the captured Princesses back safely. But now with Ansem's shield around the planet, both sides are trapped. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 5: Reinforcements of Light, Reinforcements of Dark**

A short time after returning to the castle, Captain Marvelous and the Gokaigers were with Ansem and several others in the castle library, trying to figure out what to do to get the stolen powers back from Karlaz, and so far, no progress had been made.

At the meeting was Leon, Quistis, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Hayer, Pence, Olette, The Gullwings, Stitch, Yen Sid, King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Lyra and Pan, Will and Kirjava, Nessie, Jacob, Violet, Victoire, Teddy, Pete, Katarina and Nikolai, while Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine were in the room as well, comfortably seated with several healers standing by. Also there with healers at the ready was Ranma, in a wheelchair, and Sara, also in a wheelchair with a neck brace.

On a table in the middle of the room was a hologram of the enemy base and the Zangyack warships, with Karlaz's flagship in the middle.

"As near as we can tell, Karlaz still got a hundred warships and five thousand Gormin," said Doc, "as well as three hundred Sugormin and her inner circle. We still don't know much about her subordinates."

"There's also Maleficent and her cohorts," said Yuffie, "we saw them but they weren't fighting."

"If Maleficent, Xehanort and the others are allied with Karlaz," said Quistis, "then why didn't they fight?"

"Those two creepazoids fought," said Wakka.

"They were part of the plan to grab Alice," said Selphie, "but why didn't the other baddies fight? What's their game plan?"

"We can figure it out later," said Aerith, "Ansem, can we restore the powers of Snow White and the others?"

"I honestly don't know," said Ansem, "I'll still don't understand how their powers were stolen in the first place."

"It was that horrible privateer," said Cinderella, "the one with that awful trumpet."

"And really horrible fashion sense," said Jasmine, "and a jerk to boot."

"Bosco," said Gai, "he's one sick thief."

"But he's not a fool," said Captain Marvelous, "he's got his own agenda in this."

"Last time he was out to get the powers of the previous 34 Super Sentai," said Joe, "he wanted them for himself. Do you think he wants the powers of the Princesses of Heart?"

"What would he do with them?" Leon asked, "what could he possibly want with them?"

"He doesn't want our powers," said Aurora, "I…I remember…hearing Karlaz ranting. She wants the powers for herself."

"I remember her rant too," said Jasmine, "she's completely insane, more insane than that goggle-wearing maniac."

"Dr. Insano is the embodiment of insanity," said Ansem.

"Well, this person is undeniably mad," said Snow White, "she wants to corrupt our powers and use them for evil."

"If I didn't know any better," said Cinderella, "I'd say she seeks to become a deity."

"No, she's just itching to get out of daddy's shadow," said Luka, "she said she was proud of being Akudos' bastard, but she wants to do one better."

"More like a thousand better," said Belle.

"Trying to rationalize the motives of a lunatic would only waste time," said Joe, "we've got to go back to their base and finish smashing them."

"Bad idea," said Jacob, "we took them by surprise but they'll be ready for us next time."

"We should go now before they can organize their defenses," said Leon.

"They've already had time to get ready," said Quistis, "and we've got another problem. In less than twenty-four hours, the shield generators will burn out and Karlaz will be able to call in reinforcements."

"There's still more than enough Zangyack warships in orbit to burn the surface of this world to ash," said Nikolai.

"Forget about the surface," said Katarina, "what about us? I don't want to be burned alive."

"He means we'll all get roasted an' toasted!" said Pete. He then looked at King Mickey, "you gotta do somethin' before we're all Shish Kebabed and charred to a crisp!"

"We're trying to figure that out, Pete!" said King Mickey, "getting upset won't solve anything!"

"Exactly," said Ansem, "we mustn't allow our fears and doubts to interfere with reason and logic."

"Well, what do you have in mind that'll get us out of this mess?" Luka asked.

"I'm already formulating a means to keep the shield generators operational," said Ansem, "in the meantime, we should prepare our own defenses."

"No doubt Karlaz will try to attack the castle in order to bring the shield down sooner," said Selphie.

"And get Alice's power," said Lyra, "Then she'll go after Kairi."

"What's to stop her there?" Sara asked, "for all we know, she'll want the powers of the second group of Princesses of Heart."

"You mean she'll come after us?" Violet asked, "great, I knew I should have stayed home."

"Well, you're stuck here with the rest of us," said Ranma as he ripped off the bandages on his legs and torso, then hopped out of the wheelchair, much to the chagrin of the healers.

"Are you crazy or something?" Luka asked.

"Nope, just a fast healer," said Ranma as he stretched out his arms.

"Same with me," said Sara as she stood up from her wheelchair and took off her neck brace, "having a Stand can be a real blessing," with that the image of a transparent woman in Greek armor appeared, the image having a white glow about her. The image, Crystal Star, winked at Sara.

"Well, even with some of us back in action," said Leon, "we'd still have a hard time finishing Karlaz."

"What about Cid?" Yuffie asked, "he said he'd get some Gummy Ships ready for us."

Just then Captain Marvelous' Mobalite rang.

"If it's Bosco again, send him to voicemail!" said Luka.

"It's not," said Captain Marvelous, "it's too soon for him to taunt us," he then answered the phone and put it on speakerphone, "hello?"

"Hey, pirate kid," said Cid on the other end of the phone.

"Speak of the devil," said Leon.

"How are you, Cid?" Aerith asked.

"And where are those Gummy Ships you promised?" Yuffie asked.

"Hang on, one thing at a time!" said Cid irately, "you still there, pirate boy?"

"Don't diss the captain like that!" Gai shouted, only to be shushed by Ahim and Doc.

"I'm right here, old man," said Captain Marvelous.

"Good," said Cid, "okay, I went over your ship and I can get it fixed in a jiffy."

"That's great!" said Doc, while Luka, Ahim and Gai smiled happily.

"But how long is a jiffy?" Joe asked.

"Uh…rough estimate," said Cid, "about two days."

"We don't have two days, Cid!" Donald shouted, "we're gonna get overrun in less than one!"

"You gotta work faster or we'll be flattened like pancakes!" said Goofy.

"Okay, take it easy!" Cid said hastily, "I'll work faster. I can have the ship fully repaired in six to twelve hours, but…"

"Make it less than six," said Captain Marvelous.

"Less than six?" Cid asked, "well…if I put everything I've got into it, using every last Handy Helper in the shop, and had some extra help, which I'm still waiting for, not to mention forgetting about them other Gummy Ships you all want, and of course, I'll have to charge even more."

"You were going to charge us more?!" Luka exclaimed,

"Hey, rush jobs cost extra," said Cid, "premium rush is even more."

"How much more?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"Hang on, let me figure this out," said Cid. On the phone there came the sound of papers rustling and a pencil scratching, "okay, figure in extra Handy Helpers and mechanics, fast manufacturing of replacement parts, overtime and regional fees…"

"How much?" Captain Marvelous asked in an impatient tone.

"Eight hundred and forty-seven million Munny," said Cid in a matter of fact tone.

At that the six space pirates were speechless for a few seconds. Gai finally spoke, "and…how much is that in Yen?"

"Forget Yen!" Luka exclaimed, "how much is it in Zagin?"

"Too much," said Joe, "we'll never get that cash in time."

"Send me the bill, Cid," said Merlin as he Lara and Archimedes, walked in, with the brown owl on Lara's shoulder, "you'll get paid."

"You'd do that for us?" Ahim asked.

"Do you even have that much legal tender?" Luka asked.

"My dear, I've been alive longer than you can imagine," said Merlin, "I've amassed such a fortune, even I don't know how much I have."

"If you're so rich, then how come you insist we live in squalor?" Archimedes asked irately. "Yen Sid has his own tower and it's neat as a pin!"

"That's because he has all those enchanted broomsticks to clean the place up!" said Merlin, "besides, money doesn't buy happiness!"

"No, but it sure feels good to have it," said Luka.

"In case anyone's wondering," said Lara, "Alice is alright now."

"She is?" Aurora asked.

"She snapped out of whatever fugue she was in and then fell asleep," said Lara. "She's in one of the guest rooms now."

"Then let's go wake her up and find out what happened to her," said Hayner.

"Bad idea," said Will, "I'm no psychiatrist, but her mind could be in a fragile state."

"That it is," said Merlin, "whatever horrific ordeal she went through before, it would be best to leave her be and rest."

"Then there's no question about it," said Captain Marvelous, "we'll have to take Karlaz and Bosco out before they can get their paws on Alice."

"You're still missing the point," said an annoyed Quistis, "Karlaz and her forces will be ready for us this time. And even if we do manage to defeat her and her cohorts, what's to stop the rest of the warships in orbit from annihilating us once the shield fails?" she then looked at Ansen, "you can't keep it up forever, you're not that smart, old bear."

"I've already asked Professor Ludwig von Drake to look into it," said Ansem, "I believe between the two of us," he then looked at Merlin and Yen Sid, "and with a little assistance from our resident masters of magic, of course."

"You have it, my friend," said Merlin, while Yen Sid nodded in agreement.

"It won't matter," said Sylvia Dunbar in a serious tone.

"Grandma?" Lara asked in a concerned tone, "you okay?"

"You've been quiet this whole meeting, Mrs. Dunbar," said Aerith.

"I've been thinking," said Sylvia, "it won't matter how long we can keep the shield up, nor how well it prevents the enemy from escaping," she looked at Ansem, "I saw your plans for it and it has a fatal flaw that will be our undoing."

"A flaw?" Ansem asked, "what flaw?"

"Ask Professor von Drake," said Sylvia, "by now he's on his way to tell you about it."

"Oh, I bet that she shield is trapping solar rays in the atmosphere!" said Olette, "we'll get cooked by the greenhouse effect!"

"Or it's destroying the ozone layer!" said Tidus, "we'll get cooked by ultraviolet rays!"

"Or cosmic radiation!" said Wakka.

"No, it's destabilizing the magnetic field and we'll get cooked by microwave radiation!" said Sara.

"It'll turn the air into poisoned gas," said Ranma.

"What about just destroying oxygen and we'll all suffocate?" Violet asked, "or boil the oceans?"

"There's no oceans on this world," said Victoire, "and speaking of no oceans, how are Ariel and Melody? The lack of salt was dehydrating them."

"Last I heard, Ariel was resting and Melody was helping with the wounded," said Sara, "and Ariel's still pissed. You'd think that drinking a whole quart of Gatorade would restore her electrolytes and a couple aspirins would cure her headache."

"Her physical ailments are only half the issue," said Yen Sid, "I fear that young Ariel is suffering from a deeper problem, one that has long scarred her heart and is only now surfacing."

"We'll worry about Ariel's problems later," said Sylvia, "right now, I'd like to give the floor over to Professor von Drake."

Just then von Drake ran into the room, a loose array of papers on his hands as he rushed up to Ansem, "oh, thank goodness if found you, Ansem!" exclaimed the professor, "the shield, it has a fatal flaw!"

"What is it?" Ansem asked in a concerned tone, "where did I miscalculate?"

"Miscalculate?" von Drake asked, "oh, no, you didn't miscalculate, no sir. No, the problem isn't in the design. There will be no adverse effects upon the world and its peoples either."

"Well, that's a relief," said Hayner.

"And the shield is performing exactly as it was designed to do," said von Drake, "it is blocking those warships in orbit and interfering with the stabilization of Dark Corridors. On the other hand, we can't open portals either."

"That was to be expected," said Ansem, "but what is the flaw?"

"Ah, that's the thing," said von Drake as he shuffled through his papers, "you see, apparently there was one factor that you simply overlooked, just a tiny mistake that anyone could have made, even me, and that's no picnic I tell you."

"Then what is it?!" Quistis exclaimed, "get on with it, you demented duck!"

"Young lady," said an annoyed von Drake, "that's no way to talk to a duck of such scientific achievement as myself."

"Oh light above," said an exasperated Sylvia, "the flaw is that the shield can't block Heartless. Maleficent and the others can still summon them in limited quantities."

"Of course! Of course!" said a dismayed Ansem, "I should have taken Heartless into account! How could I have been so foolish!?"

"It wasn't your fault," said Sylvia, "none here are to blame. We've all become too complacent in relying on the sealed Keyholes. But now that Maleficent, Xehanort and their cabal are here, they can begin to build up a sizeable force of Heartless, if only summoning a few at a time. But it will all add up to form an army that, if left unchecked, will overrun this castle.

"Which brings me to my point. We simply do not have enough heroes and warriors still able to fight to defend the castle and take on Karlaz directly. What we need is reinforcements."

"But we can't get reinforcements!" said Yuffie, "nearly every hero in the realms is already here! And we can't bring in anyone else because of the shield!"

"If only someone hadn't sent Sora and the others away to magic school!" said an annoyed Selphie as she glared at King Mickey, "they'd be here and they would have taken Karlaz down in a heartbeat! And finished off both Maleficent and Xehanort while they were at it."

At that King Mickey walked right up to Selphie, looking up at her with angry eyes, "don't you dare blame me for this! I had no idea we'd end up in this situation. I only wanted to give Sora and the others a break and help them prepare for the Mark of Mastery."

"Oh, don't bring that up again!" Selphie exclaimed, "that's your excuse for everything that's been going on. You want to have a meeting with all the heroes and Princesses, but Sora and the others can't be there because they need to prepare for the Mark of Mastery. We get invaded by aliens but you don't want to call Sora and the others back, because they're preparing for the Mark of Mastery. Just what is the Mark of Mastery? What does it have to do with them becoming Keyblade Masters?"

"It has everything to do with it!" King Mickey shouted.

"Well, it's stupid!" said Selphie, "Sora, Riku, Kairi and the others don't need some stupid mark to make them Keyblade Masters! They've proven themselves worthy time and time again!"

"They have proven themselves, but we can't rely on them forever!" said King Mickey.

"Are you saying we're not up to protecting our own universe?" Pence asked irately.

"You calling us inadequate or something?!" Hayner asked.

The next thing everyone knew, the room erupted into a massive shouting match so loud and confused that hardly anyone knew what was being shouted.

But then Captain Marvelous drew his Gokai Pistol and fired a shot into the air, the loud report catching everyone's attention and the shouting stopped.

"Good grief, people!" said Captain Marvelous as he put his pistol away, "things start to go sour and you all turn on each other. What kind of realm of light is this?"

"No one ever said our worlds were perfect," said Belle, "we just make do with the best we have."

"But right now our best may not be enough," said Cinderella in a despairing tone, a look of bleak futility on her face, "we're trapped, the enemy has our powers and will overwhelm us with Heartless. It's hopeless."

Just then Fairy Godmother appeared next to Cinderella, "oh, come now, my dear. If you really believed that, then I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

"Fairy Godmother?" Cinderella asked, fresh hope flooding her face as she stood up and embraced the woman whom once restored hope to her before, "oh, it's so good to see you again, but how do did you get here?"

"I'll always come to you when needed," said Fairy Godmother, she then frowned slightly at Ansem, "Although I had a rather difficult time coming with that barrier encircling the world."

"If you got in past the shield," said Aurora in a hopeful tone, "then you can get out as well! You can go tell Flora, Fauna and Merryweather!"

"Or go get Sora and the others!" said Selphie.

"Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders are in no shape to come to our rescue," said Sylvia, "I have it on good authority that they've just finished a horrific ordeal of their own and to ask them to come rescue us would be asking too much."

"How do you know that?" Nessie asked.

"An old friend dropped me a line," said Sylvia. "But that's not important right now. What is, is that we're on our own."

"I don't believe that!" Olette said stubbornly. He then looked at Fairy Godmother, "there's got to be someone you could go to for help."

"There's a whole school full of witches and wizards who'd be itching to strike a blow against the darkness!" said Victoire, "teachers and students, not to mention some Meta Humans eager for a fight."

"An entire city of supers," said Violet, "my mom, dad and brothers among them."

"My friends back in Dream Valley," said Sara, "and if you can make it to Equestria, you can ask for the keepers of The Elements of Harmony."

"The Neon Knights," said Ranma, "if they're not too busy protecting Miley, they'd be all too happy to come. Or why not Jake Ryan?"

"Of course, Jake!" said Yuffie, "Tekkaman Star!"

"Miley and Jake broke up," said Queen Minnie.

"What?!" exclaimed Ranma, Sara, Teddy, Victoire, Will, Lyra, Nessie, Jacob and several others exclaimed.

"It's a long story, but no one from that world is in any position to help us," said King Mickey, "trust me."

"Oh, well, okay," said Tidus hesitantly.

"There's got to be someone who we can ask for help," said Yuffie, "the Sailor Senshi, those really hot twins Aiden had a crush on, those vampire hunters from E-Branch, The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. I mean, come on, there are entire universes out there full of people whom owe Sora and the others a favor."

"I believe you," said Fairy Godmother, "but I'm afraid you're asking of me is impossible."

"Impossible?" Cinderella asked, "but how? You can to so many amazing things."

"My magic is powerful, yes," said Fairy Godmother, "but travel to different worlds isn't as easy as turning a pumpkin into a coach. I'm afraid that traveling through the shield drained my magic and it will be some time before I can travel out again.

"However, just because I'm unable to leave, doesn't mean I can't bring a few others here."

"What do you mean?" Ansem asked, "are you saying you can get past the shield?"

"Not by myself, of course," said Fairy Godmother, "however," she then looked at Sylvia, Merlin and Yen Sid, "however, with a little help from my fellow magic users, I may be able to open a portal to bring in help. This will be a very small portal and I can only hold it open for a minute or so at a time, and the more people whom traverse through the portal will strain the magic, so the best we can hope for is one hero at a time."

"How's that going to help us?" Wakka asked irately.

"It may just be what we need to turn disaster into victory," said Gai eagerly. He then began pacing back and forth, "if we arrange it right, it'll be just like before and the time before that."

"Would you please make sense, Gai?" Luka asked.

"Sorry, I got carried away for a second," said Gai, "okay, a few years before you guys showed up on Earth, there was a serious crisis where GoGo Sentai Boukenger needed help from their _Sempai_."

"I think I know what you're talking about," said Captain Marvelous, "_Aka Red_, he once told me about the time he joined forces with the Boukengers to defeat a time demon."

"He brought together _Senshi_ from four of the previous Super Sentai," said Gai, "Magi Yellow and Magi Shine from Mahou Sentia Magiranger, Deka Break from Tokuso Sentai Dekaranger, Abare Black from Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger and Hurricane Blue from Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger."

"We met some of them," said Tidus.

"That's so cool!" said Gai, "anyway, there was another crisis that took place a few years further back. This time it was Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger who needed help against this really strong Org. They received help from Go Yellow from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive, Ginga Blue from Seijuu Sentai Gingaman, Mega Pink from Denji Sentia Megaranger, Red Falcon from Choujuu Sentai Liveman and Big One from J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai."

"What's your point?" Jasmine asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Violet asked as she smiled eagerly, "a team up. Back home, Supers do it all the time when facing a really, really tough Villain."

"Exactly!" said Gai, "Super Sentai have been helping each other out in a major crisis since the 90's, even further, whether it's a previous team helping the current one or a gathering of individual heroes from different teams helping the current one. There was even this time when J.A.Q.K. teamed up with Himitsu Sentai Gorengea, the very first Super Sentai."

"And you think this situation calls for a gathering of individual heroes?" Leon asked.

"Why not bring in a whole team?" Ahim asked, "I wouldn't mind teaming up with the Goseigers again."

"Knowing how often Super Sentai run into trouble," said Joe, "we'll definitely bee fighting along side them again someday."

"Let's just focus on surviving this crisis," said Captain Marvelous. "Gai, you have any heroes in mind?"

"A couple," said Gai as he pulled out an iPhone, "I need to check my encyclopedia first. It's a good thing I digitized it before we left Earth."

"Of course you did," said a slightly annoyed yet still happy Luka.

"In the meantime," said Yen Sid, "we shall prepare to open the portals," he then looked at Fairy Godmother, "what do you need from us magic users?"

"Only your cooperation," said Fairy Godmother, "it's a complex spell, but what will be needed is our magic working together in harmony in order to keep the portal stable."

"Nothing would make me happier than to fully cooperate," said Sylvia, she then frowned, "but…after the fall of Radiant Garden ten years ago, after my encounter with Maleficent, I'm sorry but the best I can do right now is a few stunning spells." She then smiled again, "but I know someone whom can take my place in this magical combination," she then looked at Lara.

"Me?" Lara asked, "but, Grandma, I'm still learning."

"We never stop learning, my dear," said Merlin, "and you've learned more about magic in the past few weeks than what most ordinary witches and wizards learn in a decade."

"Hey, we learn a lot at Hogwarts!" said Victoire irately.

"Don't diss Hogwarts!" said Teddy, "and we'll help with the portals too."

"Count me in as well," said Nessie, "I may not know that much magic, but if you need stamina, I've got more than I know what to do with." She then frowned slightly, "but, I am getting kinda thirsty."

"For God's sake!" exclaimed Sara, "someone get her a live deer or a mountain lion!"

"We've seen how she gets when she's deprived of fresh blood," said Victoire.

"It's not a pretty sight," said Violet, "trust me."

"No problem," said King Mickey as he signaled to a nearby castle attendant, whom quickly left the room. The King then looked at Selphie, "this is one thing I was ready for."

A minute later the attendant wheeled in a cart, on which was a large white Styrofoam jug with a white straw in it.

"Is that…?" Nessie asked.

"I had several gallons of blood prepared for you," said King Mickey, "drink up, it's all yours."

"Thanks, I will," said Nessie eagerly. She then picked up the jug and took a long pull from the straw ignoring the looks of slight disgust from those around her, while Jacob, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Will and Kirjava, Lyra and Pan, Violet, Teddy and Victorie, Sara and Ranma, simply looked away as if giving her some privacy.

"That hit the spot," said Nessie in a satisfied tone. She then frowned slightly, "wait a minute, this is whale blood," she then glared at King Mickey, "just where did you get whale blood?"

"Monstro donated some," said King Mickey.

"Oh," said Nessie. She then frowned again, "and how did you get Monstro to donate some of his blood? That space whale is a jerk!"

"He's a jerk who owed you a favor," said Daisy, while Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy and The King, nodded in agreement.

"Oh, yeah, I did cure him of a toothache," said Nessie, "so yeah, he does owe me a favor." She then shrugged and drank more of the donated blood.

"Okay," said Gai as he put his iPhone away, "I know who we're gonna recruit for this battle!"

"And we're ready on our end," said Lara, while Yen Sid, Merlin, Sylvia and Fairy Godmother nodded in agreement.

"So who's first?" Doc asked.

"I figured we'd try to get one of the Goseigers," said Gai.

"Goseigers," said Yen Sid, "as in the Gosei Angels?"

"Exactly," said Gai.

"Angels?" Sara asked, "are they like guardian angels?"

"Sort of," said Gai, "there's three tribes of Gosei Angels dedicated to protecting peace and harmony on Earth; Skyick, Landick and Seaick. They use cards to transform and to perform special attacks. And of course, their Headders and Gosei Machines are just awesome! They fought three different enemy groups; Universal Annihilation Army Warstar, Earth Condemnation Group Yuumajuu, Machine Onslaught Empire Matrintis, and also a fallen angel whom was the mastermind behind the overall crisis."

"Okay, you've lost us," said Violet.

"We'll let one of them explain when we he or she gets here," said Fairy Godmother, "the spell is ready, well, almost," she then frowned and searched the folds of her blue cloak, "now, where did I put that wand? Oh, I'm always forgetting where I put it. Oh, wait! Silly me, I keep forgetting that I put it away." She then summoned her wand out of thin air, "now," she then looked at Yen Sid, Merlin and Lara, "if you three would focus your magics on the spell," she then looked at Nessie, Victoire and Teddy, "while you three would remain on standby if we need your help."

"You got it," said Nessie, while Victoire and Teddy nodded in readiness.

"This is got to be our most bizarre adventure yet," said Ahim to her fellow space pirates.

"I feel it's about to get even more bizarre," said Joe.

"Now," said Fairy Godmother to Gai, "just focus on the heroes you wish to bring here," she then waved her wand and a crystal ball full of gray fog appeared, "and this will show that hero to everyone."

"I've already know who to ask first," said Gai. He then closed his eyes in concentration. The fog in the crystal ball then cleared, focusing on a girl in her early 20's with long brown hair tied back with a barrette into a ponytail. She wore a pink jacket, a blue pleated skirt and tan boots.

The girl was standing atop a building looking down at a group of children playing with some model airplanes. One of the kids threw his plane too hard and it stuck itself in a high branch of a tree. As the children looked up at the misplaced airplane with disappointed eyes, the girl on the building pulled out a strange, head-shaped device and a card. The girl opened the device at the bottom of it, almost like opening its mouth, inserted the card and closed the device, which flashed upon closing.

A sudden gust of wind blue the toy airplane out of the tree and into the hands if its owners. Joyful at their unexpected luck, the children resumed their play, while the girl on the building smiling warmly.

"Eri of the Skyick Tribe," said Gai, "otherwise known as Gosei Pink."

"She's a guardian angel?" Ranma asked.

"And a very good friend," said Ahim.

"And she'll be here in a moment," said Fairy Godmother, "now…how did that spell go? Oh, I'm always forgetting…oh yes!" she then waved her wand, "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!"

There was a bright white flash and a portal opened up in the air above our heroes, followed by a surprised shriek, after which Eri fell through the portal and landed hard on the floor.

"Oh dear!" said a worried Fairy Godmother, "I should have placed some cushions on the floor."

"A little too late, don't you think?" Joe asked.

"Eri?" Ahim asked as she and Gai helped the guardian angel to her feet, "are you alright?"

"Ahim?" Eri asked as she recognized the space pirate, "what…what happened?" she then looked around the library and everyone in it, "where am I?"

"It's a long story," said Ahim, "needless to say, the crew and our new friends are still fighting Zangyack and we need your help." She then held Eri's hand, "you will help us, right?"

"I…yes, of course," said Eri, "I'll help. I just need to let Alata, Agri, Moune, Hyde and Gosei Knight know what's going on."

"There's no time to get the other Goseigers here," said Captain Marvelous.

"My dear, we'll explain everything once we've gathered the rest of the expected heroes," said Merlin.

"Other heroes?" Eri asked, "you mean you're bringing in other _Senshi_ from earlier? It must be serious."

"It is," said Gai. He then smiled eagerly and grabbed Eri's hand to shake, "hi, we didn't met when the Goseigers met the Gokaigers. Ikari Gai, Gokai Silver, nice to meet you. I'm a big fan of all Super Sentai."

"An _otaku_ by any other name," said Luka.

"So, who's next?" Joe asked.

"One from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger," said Gai. He then spoke to Yuffie, Selphie and the others, "the Shinkengers are modern day samurai descended from multiple generations of samurai dating back to the Tokugawa Shogunate. They use their swordsmanship and other fighting skills, along with a form of calligraphy-based magic called _Mojikara_, to fight the Gedoushu, demons and lost souls whom sought to drown the world with water from the river Sanzu."

"Sounds like a bunch of eco terrorists," said Quistis.

"These eco terrorists spread more sorrow than fear," said Eri.

Just then the crystal ball showed a man in his mid-20's with short brown hair, wearing a blue suit and tie with a pair of reading glasses. He was walking across the stage of a kabuki theater, avidly reading the script for a play.

"Ikeanmi Ryunosuke, otherwise known as Shinken Blue," said Gai, "his element is water and he's also a very good actor in Noh theater."

"You mean he doesn't act in a theater?" Lyra asked.

"No, I mean Noh theater," said Gai, "it's classic Japanese drama."

"Noh plays have been produced for over seven hundred years," said Ranma, "with several notable Noh actors throughout history."

"You're starting to confuse me," said Lyra, whole Pan looked equally confounded.

"Why don't we let Ryunosuke explain," said Will.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Gai. He then looked at Fairy Godmother, "whenever you're ready."

"Hold on a second," said Laura. She then waved her hand and summoned several cushions on the floor, "there, this time we'll have a soft landing."

"Good idea," said Gai. He then looked at Fairy Godmother, "okay, now."

"Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo!" said Fairy Godmother as she waved her wand.

With a flash of magic a portal opened up in the air and from it fell Ikeanmi Ryunosuke, whom landed on the floor a yard to the left of the cushions.

"Oh, my!" said Fairy Godmother in a flustered tone.

"You really need to work on your portal projection or whatever it is," said Joe as he and Eri helped Ryunosuke up.

"Ryunosuke, are you alright?" Eri asked.

"I think so," said Ryunosuke as he brushed himself off and looked around, "on the other hand, I think I had a bad batch of Genta's sushi last night."

"You're not hallucinating, man," said Wakka, "this is really happening."

"We never actually met, Ikeanmi Ryunosuke," said Joe, "but we met Karu."

"Karu-_hime_?" Ryunosuke asked. He then spoke in an overeager, overacting tone, "oh, that's right! Karu-_hime _did say that she met you Gokaigers! Well, I am most humbly honored to meet you. But why was I dragged from the theater to…whoever this place is?"

"We need your help against a revived Zangyack," said Captain Marvelous.

"We're gathering a bunch of our Sempai," said Ahim, "and as soon as everyone gets here, we'll explain everything."

"A chance to wage war and defeat Zangyack," said Ryunosuke, he then smiled confidently, "I'd be a fool to pass that opportunity up."

"Then welcome to the club," said Luka.

"So, who's next?" Doc asked.

"One of Engine Sentai Go-Onger," said Gai, "an ecologically minded team whom traveled to a few alternate dimensions as they battled Barbaric Machine Clan Garik, whom sought to pollute the world into a toxic paradise."

"Sounds disgusting," said Jacob.

"Ain't it the truth," said Gai, "anyway, the Go-Ongers had special partners from one of the many alternate dimensions; Engines, living machines whom resemble vehicles, mostly cars and a few planes. The Go-Ongers transformed with the use of chip-like devices known as Souls, the most powerful being the Engine Souls, which are basically the heart and souls of their Engine partners."

"Is any of this going to make sense?" Violet asked, "I get the alternate dimension part and the thing with living machines, but that's about it."

"Why don't we let Jō Hanto explain?" Gai asked as the crystal ball showed a young man in his mid-20's with short black hair, wearing a black and green racing jacket and pants, the jacket having several words and pictures on it, with the biggest on the front being 'Doki Doki Delight,' while the back had 'Vagabond' in large letters. He was in a garage working on a moped. Nearby was a red and black cell phone that was projecting a cartoon-like image of a green orca, whom was happily chatting with the man in the jacket.

"Go-On Green," said Gai, "a freelance jack of all trades, partnered with Engine Birca, the easygoing dreamer." He then looked at Fairy Godmother and the other magic users, "whenever you're ready."

"Just one second," said Lara as she moved the cushions to the left, "this time for sure."

"Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo!" said Fairy Godmother as she waved her wand.

With a flash of light the portal opened and from it fell Jō Hanto and Birca, with Hanto holding his cell phone as he landed on the big table.

"Oh, really!" said an annoyed Fairy Godmother, "I was sure I had it right this time.

"Why don't' we just put cushions all over the room?" Lara asked in an exasperated tone.

"At least he's in one piece," said Ryunouske as he and Doc helped Hanto off of the table. He then looked at Hanto, "are you alright?"

"Nothing hurt but my pride," said Hanto in a modest tone. He then looked at the anthropomorphic projection of his Engine partner, "are you okay, Birca?"

"_Ba Baru_! I'm fine, Hanto!" said the cartoon orca, "what a trip!" he then looked around in confusion, "but, _dónde estamos_? Where are we?"

"It's a long story," said Doc.

"You're the Gokaigers, right?" Hanto asked as he looked at Doc and the other space pirates, then saw Ryunouske, "what's going on here?"

"We're fighting Zangyack and need your help," said Luka, "we've got to get some more friends here, then we'll explain," she then looked at Gai, "so, who's next?"

"One from Jūken Sentai Gekiranger," said Gai, "martial arts masters whom practice Geki Jūken Beast Arts."

"Martial arts guys, huh?" Ranma asked, "my kind of hero."

"But what is Geki Jūken Beast Arts?" Sara asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nessie asked, "they stylize after animals."

"Yep," said Gai, "the Gekirangers use _Qi _to harness the beast within, focusing on the triangle of Body, Heart and Technique."

"Again, my kind of thing," said an eager Ranma, "so let me guess, they fought another group of fighters and their style was totally crazy, right?"

"I wouldn't call Rin Jūken Akugata crazy, "said Gai, "just evil, mostly because they used their martial arts style for evil, and that they used a lot of necromancy in their ways. But the real evil was the immortal, multi-headed dragon creature behind Rin Jūken Akugata, whom manipulated innocent lives for thousands of years, just because he felt like doing it."

"Sounds like a clone of The Puppeteer," said Selphie, "now that guy was sick in the head."

The crystal ball then showed a girl in her early 20's with long black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a yellow long-sleeved shirt, black shorts and a pair of black and orange gloved arm-guards. She was practicing a kata that had movements expressing feline grace and agility.

"Uzaki Ran," said Gai, "Geki Yellow, the Honest Heart and practitioner of Geki JūCheetah-ken, making her the fast member of the Gekirangers."

"This time I'm ready," said Lara as she summoned a large cushion and made it hover in midair, "it'll go directly underneath the portal the moment it's summoned."

"In that case," said Fairy Godmother as she waved her wand, "Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo!"

With a flash of light, the portal appeared, this time above one of the tall bookcases in the library. The cushion raced to get underneath it, but instead hit the bookcase, just as Uzaki ran fell through the portal. She recovered in mid-fall and landed gracefully on all fours on top of the bookcase.

"Good grief!" said an irate Fairy Godmother, "I am truly off my form today."

"At least she's in one piece," said Luka as she and Hanto helped Ran off of the bookcase. She then looked at Ran, "are you alright?"

"A little shook up, but yeah, I'm fine," said Ran.

"_Signora _Ran!" exclaimed Birca, "it's _tão maravilhosa_ to see you again!"

"It has been a while, Ran," said Hanto.

"It certainly has," said Ran. She then looked at Luka and the other Gokaigers, "hey, aren't you those space pirates Jyan told me and Retsu about?"

"In the flesh," said Joe.

"We need your help," said Luka, "Zangyack's making trouble again and we'll explain things soon."

"Say no more," said Ran, "I'm already in. So, what's next?"

"We just need one more," said Captain Marvelous. He then looked at Gai, "I can guess whom you're going to get next, from GoGo Sentai Boukenger."

"On the nose, Marvelous-san," said Gai. He then looked at Hayner, Pence, Olette and the others, "the Boukengers, a multi-talented team of adventurers dedicated to traveling the world in order to locate and recover ancient and dangerous relics known as Precious."

"How dangerous are these relics?" Leon asked.

"Dangerous enough to destroy the world," said Captain Marvelous.

The crystal ball then showed a man in his early 30's with short black hair, wearing a red and white jacket over a black shirt and black pants, standing on a rock ledge on a mountain. He looked up at another rock ledge several meters further up the mountain, pulled out a red Swiss Army Knife-like device and activated a grappling hook feature, shooting a line up to the overhead ledge and he began to climb up.

"Akashi Satoru," said Gai, "Bouken Red, the Fiery Adventurer, also known as The Immortal Fang."

"That pretty much sums him up," said Quistis as she looked at the crystal ball, "there's a man who's faced danger more times than he'd like to count and come out of it mostly unscathed."

"You can say that again," Gai remarked.

"Alright, this time for sure," said Lara as she cracked her knuckles, "I'll wait until the portal opens and then summon the cushion under it."

"Here goes everything," said Fairy Godmother, "Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo!" she then waved her wand.

But nothing happened.

"Now what?" Fairy Godmother asked as she looked at her wand, slapping it into the palm of her hand a few times, causing a few sparks of magic to shoot out from the tip, "I was sure I cast the spell right."

"Maybe there wasn't enough magical energy," said Lara, "I'm starting to feel drained."

"No, the spell was cast," said Yen Sid, "the portal was summoned."

"Then where is it?" Merlin asked.

Everyone then heard Archimedes cough. Merlin's owl companion was perched on the railing of the library balcony, "if you all wouldn't mind," he said, "but would you please help that poor man off of the roof before he falls?"

"What?!" Lara exclaimed. She, Captain Marvelous, Ran, Leon, Hayner, Pence and Olette ran out to the balcony and looked up to see Akashi Satoru on the roof, grabbing a nearby weathervane for dear life.

"What are you doing up there, Akashi?" Captain Marvelous shouted up.

"Trying not to fall off!" Akashi shouted.

"Oh, dear," said Fairy Godmother as she and Merlin walked outside, "I truly am in bad form today."

"I don't think it's your fault," said Merlin, "I'll bet it's the shield that's interfering with the portals."

"This is on you, old man!" Selphie shouted at Ansem.

"Stop badmouthing him!" Yuffie shouted at Selphie.

"No, it is my fault," said Ansem, "I should have taken all forms of magic into consideration."

"There's no way you could have anticipated this," said Nikolai as he and Katarina walked out onto the balcony, "not even I, with my superior intellect, could have foreseen any of this."

"And such a smart boy you are," said Katarina, "no wonder your mommy loves you so much. Oh, I forgot, she thinks you're a disappointing, second-rate stage magician! And she's not that good at magic either."

"You leave my mother out of this, woman!" Nikolai snapped as he aimed his staff at Katarina, "my mother may be a cold-hearted witch of a bitch, but she's still my mother. And your mother is just as much a moron as you are, even more if possible! And twice as ugly!"

"My mommy was the most beautiful of all Hakonians!" Katarina shouted as she balled up her hands into fists, "and is the most beautiful of the new Zumakali! And she's not stupid! If she were here, she'd clean your clock!"

"If my mother was here, she'd curse you into the most horrible, lowest, most detestable creature into the universe!" said Nikolai.

"My mommy can beat up your mommy!" said Katarina.

"My mother would annihilate your mother!" shouted Nikolai.

At that Katarina stuck her tongue out at Nikolai, crossed her arms and turned her back on him, while Nikolai did the same.

"And these are the two that Maleficent wanted to marry and produce a race of super soldiers," said Yuffie in a tone that barely hid her laughter.

"They would have killed each other before they got to their honeymoon," said Quistis.

"They would have killed each other before they cut the wedding cake," said Victoire.

"Before they even exchanged vows," said Nessie.

"Ah, they ain't always like this," said Pete, "some days they's almost nice to each other."

"I hate too see them on a bad day," said Hayner.

"As much as I'm enjoying the daytime soap opera," said Akashi, "I'd like to get down now."

"Just hold on, pretty boy," said Katarina, "I'll be right there." With that she jumped onto the roof as easily as playing hopscotch, grabbed Akashi and jumped down to the balcony with equal grace, setting him on the floor, "there, that was easy."

"Not bad," said Akashi as he brushed his jacket off, "you're okay in my book."

"Oh, he likes me," giggled Katarina as she blushed slightly.

"Your cat likes you," Nikolai muttered.

"Don't bring Fluffy into this!" Katarina snapped.

"Don't call me Fluffy!" Pete shouted.

"Sorry about this, Akashi," said Captain Marvelous, "things just keep getting more bizarre by the moment."

"I figured as much," said Akashi as they went back inside, "I knew that you'd eventually drag me into another mess with Zangyack."

"This time it's all or nothing," said Doc.

"If Karlaz Gill gets her way, it could be the end of freedom and self-determination throughout time and space," said Pence.

"Is that all?" Akashi asked, "I thought it was something serious," he then confidently smiled, "whatever's going on, I'm in, all the way."

"Glad to have you," said Captain Marvelous as he and Akashi shook hands.

"This is so awesome!" Gai shouted, "a new Super Sentai dream team!" he then looked at Akashi, Ran, Hanto, Ryunouske and Eri, "Karlaz doesn't stand a chance!"

"That remains to be seen," said Ansem, "we still have to bring our new friends up to date."

"Which is what we'll do now," said King Mickey.

* * *

…**One Explanation Later…**

"And that's it," said King Mickey.

"And I thought the Zangyack we fought was monstrous," said Eri.

"This Karlaz Gill is just as crazy as her half-brother and more evil than her father," said Ryunosuke.

"And if she collects all the powers of The Princesses of Heart and turns them evil," said Hanto, "she'll be unstoppable."

"_Ay Mios Dios_!" exclaimed Birca, "she'll destroy Earth, Engine World and every other world!"

"Or worse, enslave them in everlasting darkness," said Ran.

"And those other baddies aren't small change either," said Akashi. He then looked at his fellow veteran _Senshi_, "we have to stop Karlaz, no matter the cost."

"Darn right," said Ran, while Hanto and Birca, Ryunouske and Eri nodded in agreement.

"So, what's the plan?" Yuffie asked.

"The main objective is to recover the stolen powers before anything else happens to Snow White and the other Princesses," said Ryunousuke.

"Karlaz would no doubt have secured the powers in her flagship," said Akashi.

"And she would have upgraded her defenses by now," said Leon, "and who knows how many Heartless Maleficent and the other villains have summoned by now?"

"Then there's not a moment to waste," said Ran, "we've got to attack before Karlaz decides to attack."

"She still wants Alice's power," said Sara, "no matter what, we can't let the enemy get her."

"Then here's what we'll do," said Quistis, "we'll divide into five teams whom will attack the Zangyack base. Team Red shall consist of Captain Marvelous, Akashi, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

"Team Blue will have Joe, Ryunouske, Squall, Tidus and Hayner.

"Team Yellow has Luka, Ran, Selphie, Yuffie, Lyra and her daemon Pan.

"Team Green will have Doc, Hanto, Hercules, Ranma, Will and his daemon Kirjava.

"Team Pink has Ahim, Eri, Olette, Sara and Mulan. Everyone else will stay at the castle.

"Now hang on a second!" said an irate Wakka, "how come I gotta stay in the castle?"

"Yeah, why me and Jacob?" Nessie asked.

"And me?" Pence asked.

"And us?" Victoire asked, while Teddy and Violet nodded.

"Because that's how the plan worked out in my mind," said Quistis, "got a problem with it?"

"I got one question," said Violet, "who put you on the planet?"

"We want to fight," said Jacob.

"Stomp some Zangyack guts!" said Pence.

"Well, someone has to stay at the castle," said Nikolai.

"And what will you be doing during all of this?" Olette asked.

"Helping Ansem the Wise with the shield, of course," said Nikolai. He then looked at Katarina and Pete, "while the two lovebirds here can go make out in the corner."

"Hey! Don't you make fun of me like that!" said Pete irately.

"And we're not staying here either," said Katarina, "we're going to fight too," she then looked at Pete, "right, Fluffy?"

"I…what…no!" said Pete nervously, "I ain't fighting them Zangy creeps! And stop callin' me Fluffy!"

"Whatever you wish," said Katarina. She then smiled mischievously, "Sweetie Pie!" she then gripped Pete's arm affectionately with enough strength to cut off the circulation to his hand.

"Get off of me, you crazy girl!" Pete shouted as he tried to shake Katarina off of him, but she clung to her arm like a vine on a tree.

"You know, a sixth strike team would make things better," said Violet, "one better than five works in my book."

"At least have a sixth in reserve," said Nessie, "just in case."

"You're just saying that because you want to fight," said Quistis. She then sighed as she cleaned her glasses, "but you've made your point. Okay, we'll have a reserve team that'll move out if needed. Team Silver will have Gai, Pete, Katarina, Nessie and Victoire."

"How come Jacob can't come!?" Nessie asked

"How come I can't go with Nessie!?" Jacob asked.

"How come Teddy can't come?!" Victoire asked.

'How come I can't go with Victoire!?" Teddy asked.

"How come I can't come?!" Violet asked.

"How come I gotta go!?" Pete asked, "and how come you're staying?"

"Because I said so, that's why!" said Quistis in an annoyed tone, "and I've got to coordinate both the attack on the enemy base and the defense of the castle." She then looked at Leon, "unless you want to be the coordinator, Squall."

"I'd rather be on the front line, thank you very much," said Leon.

"Then let's make a show of it," said Captain Marvelous.

* * *

…**The Enemy Base…**

"How much longer will it take to summon your Heartless?" Vokarn asked Xehanort as he, Maleficent and the other villains pooled their dark powers to amass a horde of Heartless, composing of Neo Shadows, Armored Knights, Invisibles, Defenders, Wyverns and a handful of Behemoths, yet the summoning was slow going.

"Too long in my humble opinion," said Huvnario Yr.

"Lady Karlaz won't appreciate having to wait," said Uad'kexk.

"Truth be told," said Dio Brando, "I don't give a damn what Karlaz would appreciate," he then smiled wickedly, "unless it's my own…special attention…that she would appreciate."

"I'm warning you, _petaQ_!" Uad'kexk shouted as she drew her pistols, "stay away from Lady Karlaz!"

"She has enough problems as it is." said Janicia as she drew her new swords, "The last thing she needs is a lovesick, or just plain sick for that matter, man after her. So leave her alone!"

"Oh come now, Janicia," said Karlaz as she and Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo exited her shuttle, along with five pairs of Gormin, each pair carrying a large metal case. "There's no harm in flirting, so long as it stays as flirting. Besides," she then walked up to Dio Brando, a seductive look on her face as she placed her hand on his face. Then without warning, she kicked him hard in the groin, causing him to grunt in pain and call over, clutching his assaulted privates, "he's not my type."

"Oh, you got OWNED!" Insano shouted eagerly.

"A word of advice, my friend," said Sephiroth as he helped Dio Brando sit up, "never flirt with a woman more of a lunatic than you are."

"Hey, a guy can dream, right?" Dio Brando asked in a strained tone.

"Just what is in those cases?" Maleficent asked.

"An insurance policy I had overlooked," said Karlaz as the Gormin set the cases on the ground and opened them, "something that may just give those space pirates and their foolish allies a run for their money." She reached into one of the cases and pulled out a handful of ash-gray pellets, while another case had black and brown pellets, the third had rust-brown pellets, the fourth had red and yellow pellets and the fifth had yellow and black pellets.

"I see them, but what are they?" Gaston asked.

"As I said, an insurance policy," said Karlaz. "Now, where are my Action Commanders?"

"They are here, Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr.

Five individuals entered the area, each one as villainous as the next. The first was a six-foot tall female sasquatch-like creature with crimson and umber fur and a maw full of razor-sharp teeth. She wielded a spear with a spiked fore-guard. The second was a seven-foot tall berserker warrior with a grayish green slimy skin and a grayish blue hermit crab shell on its back and wore a black executioner's mask on its head. It was armed with a flying guillotine and two short axes, while attached to a leather belt around its waist was a large gourd with a cork in the top.

The third was a seven and a half-foot tall humanoid robot seemingly made out of rusting computer parts with spikes on its shoulders that randomly crackled with electricity, while on its hands were oversized computer fans. The fourth was an apparently human female, tall and willowy with pale skin and long black hair braded with black swan feathers and heavy black eye makeup, wearing a black silk ballet dress. The fifth was a large red humanoid reptile covered in spikes

"Welcome, my faithful Action Commanders," said Karlaz as the five stood next to the cases, "tell our honored guests whom you and our new minions are."

"With pleasure, Lady Karlaz," said the red reptilian creature as he stood next to the case with ash-gray pellets. "Call me Akryot, a Jaakuryuu from Dragonoid Soldier Jaryuu." He grabbed some and threw them to the ground. The pellets then expanded into humanoid soldiers with stone-like, ash-gray skin and armed torch-like sickles. "And these are Combatant Karths, from the Gordom Civilization, which my tribe often employed.

"I am Devapioret, of Rin Jūken Akugata," said the black-swan creature as she made a graceful bow. She then took a handful of the black and brown pellets and threw them to the ground. The pellets expanded into creatures that resembled Jiang-Shi, Chinese hopping vampires, wearing black and brown outfits, white gloves, their eyes blindfolded and armed with lances. "And these are Rinsis. Quite vicious, aren't they?"

"Undersecretary Dakkoliam of Barbaric Machine Clan Gairak-zappa," said the rusting humanoid robot. He then took some of the rust-colored pellets to the ground, which expanded into rust and steel-colored androids that seemed to be made out of scrap metal and armed with rusting yet still sharp weapons. "And these are Barbaric Machine Soldiers Ugatz, dumb as scrap metal but tough as nails-zappa."

"I am Yadokarikeiri," whispered the hermit crab executioner in an insidious tone, "of Gedoushu." He then grabbed a handful of the red and yellow pellets to the ground, which expanded into red and orange aquatic foot soldiers that had features of sea anemones and coral, armed with various weapons. "These are the Nanashi Company." He then grabbed his gord, uncorked it and took a swig from the liquid within.

"And I am Sasogon of the Bigfoot," said the female sasquatch, "of Earth Condemnation Group Yuumajuu." She then grabbed some of the yellow and black pellets to the ground, which expanded into yellow and black foot soldiers armed with various weapons. "And theses are Demon Bug Soldiers Bibi, originally from Universal Annihilation Army Warstar."

"Quite the eclectic collection of comrades you've gathered," said Xehanort as he looked at the Action Commanders.

"But are they up to the task?" Regina asked.

"Just give us the chance-zappa!" said Undersecretary Dakkoliam.

"Show us the enemy," said Devapioret as she took out a small feathered fan and waved it in front of her face, "we'll make them regret ever even thinking of standing against you."

"Or just kill them," said Yadokarikeiri.

"That works too," said Akryot.

"We'll see you about that," said Regina.

"And how many of these…things, do you have?" Maleficent asked as she looked at the five different types of mooks.

"More than the number of Heartless you'll be able to summon at this rate," said Karlaz. "General Vokarn! You are to assign detachments of Gormin and Sugormin to some of our loyal subordinates, and our most grateful guests of course," she then looked at Gaston, Lady Tremaine, Dio Brando, Regina and Sephiroth, "yes, you three will do most nicely."

"For what?" Lady Tremaine asked cautiously.

"To storm the castle, grab Alice and take down the shield, of course," said Karlaz, "you'll each have a full squad of Gormin and Sugormin, as well as a sizeable amount of extra minions. I'll leave the allotment of minions up to Vokarn," she then looked at her chief military advisor, "you'll take care of this, General? Can I count on you to storm the castle, grab Alice and get rid of that bothersome shield post haste?"

"Without a doubt, Lady Karlaz," said Vokarn as he bowed. He then looked at three Sugormin, "spread the word that the strike teams are to proceed with prudence and caution." The Sugormin saluted and left.

"Now, let's see," said Karlaz as she looked at her Action Commanders, then at the villains, "whom to match up with whom?" She then pointed at Gaston and Sasogon, "you'll make the perfect team."

"Not likely," said the sasquatch-like female in an annoyed tone, while Gaston looked at Sasogon with disgusted eyes.

"And two you will go nicely," said Karlaz as she pointed at Sephiroth and Yadokarikeiri.

"I will because I wish it so," said Sephiroth stubbornly, "not because you wish it."

"Whatever combs your hair," said Karlaz, she then pointed at Regina and Undersecretary Dakkoliam, "the two of you," she then pointed at Lady Tremaine and Devapioret, "you two," she then pointed at Dio Brando and Akryot, "and you two."

"May I ask why you chose this set of match-ups?" Lady Tremaine asked irately as she glared at Devapioret, while Dio Brando and Akryot glared at each other in a standoffish manner, as did Regina and Dakkoliam

"You may not," said Karlaz as she smiled cheerfully, "so, let's all sit down with a nice cup of tea and plan the destruction of those idiots whom dared to stand in our way, shall we?" at that, several Gormin brought out chairs and a large table, while more carried over tea cups and plates and another pair brought in a large tea service.

"And what am I to be doing during this little scheme of yours, Karlaz-chan?" Bosco asked as he and Terri walked up to the would-be empress.

"Ah, Bosco darling," said Karlaz in an overly sweet tone, "I have a special mission for you. This is of the utmost importance," she then put her arm around Bosco's shoulder in a loving manner, "all our efforts will amount to nothing unless you succeed in this endeavor I'm assigning to you."

"Trust me, Karlaz-chan," said Bosco as he put his arm around her shoulder, "whatever it is, I will do it, anything for you."

At that Janicia looked ready to kill Bosco on sight, "you son of a…!" she exclaimed, but was stopped by Vokarn, whom gave her a 'take it easy' look.

"I know you'll succeed, Bosco," said Karlaz, "because of you don't," she then grabbed Bosco by the ears and twisted them so hard that any further pressure would begin tearing them apart, causing Bosco to cry out in pain and to fall to his knees, "I'll rip you to pieces, then I'll cook and eat you for dinner!" she then shoved Bosco away from her, "if you fail then you will have proven yourself weak. The weak are meat and the strong doth eat! Are we clear, Bosco?"

"Crystal, Karlaz-chan!" Bosco shouted in a pained tone as he clutched his mangled ears, while Terri hovered nearby in a protective manner.

"Smashing," said Karlaz in a cheerful tone, "now go meet with the Tohgormin and get ready to move." With that Bosco and Terri hurried out of the area.

"Glad that bit of unpleasantness is behind us," said Karlaz. She then looked at Xehanort and Maleficent, "shall we have our tea now?"

"It's official, she eats people," said Dio Brando said as Karlaz, Maleficent and Xehanort sat down and were served Tea.

"You're one to talk, considering that you're part vampire," said Regina.

"Blood is one thing," said Dio Brando, "but the rest of the body is just…icky. Do you have any idea how much bacteria there is in the human digestive system? More than you'd be comfortable with. Then of course there's human meat, very hard to actually eat unless cooked right."

"You are a very strange person," said Lady Tremaine. She then looked at Regina, "on another note, when are we to make our move against Maleficent and Xehanort?"

"When the moment comes," said Regina, "when Maleficent is at her most venerable, when she least expects to be stabbed in the back, that is when we make our move on her. Xehanort's moment will present itself in due time," she then glared hatefully at the mistress of all evil, "but I want Maleficent taken out first. This is beyond a bid for power, it's personal now."

"Personal grudges," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles, "that I can relate to."

**The end of chapter 5.**

_Next chapter finds the forces of light and dark clashing once again as a multi-view battle unfolds. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	7. Chapter 6: Double-Sided Backstories

_Last time found our heroes and allies trying to figure out what to do against Karlaz and her forces trapped under Ansem's shield. One thing made clear was that the shield worked both ways; nothing could leave or enter Radiant Garden. There were exceptions, however, when Cinderella's Fairy Godmother arrived, whom informed our heroes and allies that, with the combined efforts of herself, Merlin, Yen Sid and other magic users, help could be brought in past the shield. Gai then thought of brining in heroes from previous Super Sentai groups, while a plan to strike back at Karlaz and take back the stolen powers, was formed. At the same time, Karlaz instructed several of her Action Commanders to team up with Regina and the other villains to attack the castle and capture Alice. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 6: Double-Sided Backstories**

"So, what's it like being a guardian angel?" Olette asked as she, Sara, Mulan, Eri and Ahim made their way through the crystal wastes towards the enemy encampment.

"It's wonderful," said Eri, "we Gosei Angels have a sworn duty to protect our world from evil, whatever form it takes, whenever it comes. We also have a duty to help the people of our world, to watch over the humans and guide them on the path of righteousness. We protect the innocent and punish the wicked, and try to have as much fun along the way."

"But it's also very dangerous," said Ahim, "after all the enemies you and the other Goseigers faced, it's a miracle you survived."

"It's a miracle any _Super Sentai _survived their enemies," said Mulan.

"Miracles do help," said Eri, "especially when you're fighting evil aliens, monsters and robots out to destroy all that is good and true in existence."

"Well, I've seen enough evil to know that it's a never-ending struggle," said Sara, "you stamp out one villain, another steps right up to bat, worse than before. And when villains team up, you'd better hold on to your hats, cause that's when things really get rough."

"But it's worth it in the end," said Eri, "just knowing that you've made a difference in the life of a human, whether it's saving a life, helping two soul mates find each other or even as simple as bringing a smile to a child's face, it makes it all worth while."

"Don't I know it," said Sara, "I help protect a world full of wondrous creatures of innocence and joy, whom only wish to live in peace and happiness. Yet there are those whom hate innocence and happiness, dark hearts whom take pleasure in hurting those who walk in the light."

"It's disgusting," said Mulan, "how evil always finds a way to inflict pain and misery on those who's only crime is just being happy, as if that could ever be considered a crime. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's those who think they can hurt people for pleasure, from the worst of villains to the lowest of bullies."

"I can't stand bullies either," said Eri, "if I had my way, I'd lock them up so they can't hurt anyone any more."

"Locking them away isn't enough," said Sara, "you've got to make an example, to show them that they can't get away with spreading pain and misery just so they can feel good."

"What do you suggest?" Ahim asked, "kill them?" she then frowned seriously, "because that's what I did to the Zangyack enforcer whom destroyed my home world. Call it revenge, call it justice, but that particular Action Commander, and so many like it, was destroyed, and we'll destroy Karlaz before she can hurt anyone with her madness."

"Well, I don't advocate murder," said Sara, "frontal lobotomy has a nice ring to it, or maybe double castration."

"Double castration?" Mulan asked, "do I really want to know?"

"Uh, no," said Sara, "but let's not talk about that," she then looked at Eri, "now, what about you? Any boyfriends in heaven?"

"You mean Gosei World," said Eri, "and no, I don't have a boyfriend."

"I thought you and Alata were…" said Ahim.

"We're friends!" Eri insisted, "Alata and I, we're from the same tribe and grew up together, trained and fought our enemies together. We're very good friends but that's it, just friends."

"Well, that's not right," said Sara, "you shouldn't be without a special someone."

"It's not necessary," said Eri.

"Oh, but it is," said Sara, "I've got Ranma, Mulan has Shang and Olette," she looked at Olette, "she's got Hayner." At that Olette blushed heavily.

"Seriously, I'm fine without a boyfriend," said Eri, "I'm always busy with my duties as a Gosei Angel, so I've no time for a boyfriend."

"You're really that busy?" Sara asked.

"An angel's duty is never done," said Eri.

"Well, don't you do anything for fun?" Sara asked, "I mean, you can't be helping the good and punishing the evil 24/7, right?"

"Oh, no, I do plenty of stuff for fun," said Eri, "I like to read and sing, and of course, I never refuse sweets. Anything with sugar and I'll eat it."

"But you've got such a great figure," said Olette, "how do you stay thin?"

"Fighting the forces of darkness is the perfect workout plan," said Eri.

"I guess you're right," said Olette.

Sara was about to say something, when Mulan held her hand up in a silencing gesture. She then indicated a nearby tall outcropping of crystals and with that she, Sara, Olette, Eri and Ahim hid behind them. Seconds later, they heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching, followed by an irate voice.

"Can't you miserable minions go any faster?" Gaston asked as he, Sasogon, two Sugormin and a squad of Gormin, brazenly strode through the area, unaware of the hidden heroines.

"We're acting on General Vokarn's orders," said Sasogon, "and our orders are to proceed to the castle with prudence and caution."

"But I distinctly remember Karlaz saying that she wanted the castle stormed and the shield taken down post haste," said Gaston, "besides, I'm anxious to eradicate some innocent lives."

He then smiled with vicious glee, "and then, of course, I'm going to have fun with Belle and her precious Beast. First, I'm going to break every single bone in his misshapen body, then I'll skin him, slowly, then stuff that skin into a trophy, and I'll make Belle watch every moment of it, and that's just for starters. I'm going to make her so miserable, she'll beg me to kill her, but I won't, not as long as it still hurts. I'll only stop and let her die when she's unable to feel anything anymore."

All the time Gaston was ranting, Ahim saw that Mulan, Sara and Eri had wrathful expressions on their faces. Ahim even thought she heard Eri grinding her teeth.

"You humans put too much into overindulgence," said Sasogon, "Revenge should be straight and to the point without drawing it out."

"What's the point of revenge if you can't enjoy it?" Gaston asked, "Don't tell me you lack ambition and imagination."

"I do have ambition and imagination," said Sasogon, "I have my own plans for vengeance on those who wronged me, but they're efficient plans, as are my plans to rot Earth into a putrid paradise fit only for Yumajuu beasts such as myself."

"The only thing you're fit for is hunting and killing," said Gaston.

"I'll take that as a compliment on my warrior skills," said Sasogon, "so you just go on planning your overly complicated vengeance dreams."

"Oh, I'll dream up something slow and painful that'll destroy Belle," said Gastone, "And then when she's dead, I'll have that goggle-wearing fruitcake, Insano, bring Belle back to life so I can start the pain all over again. Oh, she'll regret rejecting me, she'll regret rejecting me forever!" With that he laughed cruelly.

At that Sara jumped out from behind the crystal outcropping, a look of unadulterated loathing on her face that she projected towards Gaston, "you're gonna die, bully!" she shouted as she threw a punch in the air, just as Crystal Star appeared in front of Gaston and punched him in the face with enough force to knock him twenty feet into the air.

"You think that's funny!?" Sara shouted as Gaston crashed into the ground, "I don't hear you laughing now, huh?!"

"Whoa! What the hell!?" Olette exclaimed as she, Mulan, Eri and Ahim ran out from behind the crystal outcropping.

"I told you that I hate people whom hurt other people for pleasure," said Sara. She then glared at the now terrified Gormin and Sugormin and the startled Sasogon, "anyone else want to push my buttons? I'm not having a good day here, so you can either give up or run away, because if I have to fight you tinhorns, none of you will walk away alive!"

"Assuming these alien robots are what you call alive," said Mulan as she drew her sword, while Olette readied her mage staff. Ahim had out her Pink Ranger Key and Mobilate, while Eri had out one of her Gosei Cards and the head-like device, her _Tensounder_.

"Gosei Pink," said Sasogon as she glared wrathfully at at Eri, "I've a bone to pick with you."

"You're from Earth Condemnation Group Yuumajuu," said Eri, "are you related to Kinggon of the Bigfoot?"

"He was my cousin," said Sasogon, "And I would have been with him and Makuin of the Blob to fight and destroy you Goseigers! But that punk, Bredoran of the Chupacabra, he had to stick his ugly face where it didn't belong. I was pushed aside and was forced to remain in hiding. Long story short, you Goseigers murdered my cousin and fellow Yumajuu! And then you had to destroy Bredoran when he finally revealed his true form and deny me satisfaction! That's unacceptable"

The female sasquatch then slammed the butt of her spear on the ground, each time emphasizing by shouting, "Unacceptable! Unacceptable! UNACCEPTABLE!"

"You're definitely Kinggon's cousin," said Eri.

"A part I'm both ashamed and proud of," said Sasogon, "but that's irrelevant. After you Goseigers finished your battles, I was contacted by advanced agents from Zangyack and was offered a job. I took it and after being elevated to Action Commander, I found myself in the employment of Lady Karlaz. I wouldn't have been offered the position in her growing forces, had it not been for General Vokarn. He sponsored and introduced me to Lady Karlaz after I competed in a battle that proved my worthiness. And now," she then pointed her spear at Eri, "I'm going to prove my worthiness again by destroying you!"

But then Gaston got back up, looking no worse for wear, glaring hatefully at Sara as he walked towards them, "You! You're going to regret hitting me, little girl."

"Gee, I'm feeling rather shameless right about now," said Sara as she crossed her arms, while Crystal Star appeared next to her, the glowing white Stand crossing her arms as well.

"You will after I wipe you out from existence!" said Gaston. He then charged up his destruction beams and aimed his hands at Sara.

"_Defenstorm _Card!" shouted Eri as she pulled out the desired card and opened her _Tensounder_, which spoke with a loud _**'Gotcha!' **_She quickly inserted the card into the opened slot, held it out front and closed the device, "_Tensou_!" The device let out an electronic chime that confirmed the card scan and spoke with a loud '_**Expand! Skyick Power!'**_

A wall of wind appeared in front of Sara just as Gaston fired his destruction beams. The deadly rays were deflected by the wind wall, vaporizing several nearby crystals while leaving Sara unharmed.

"How did you do that!?" Gaston asked in an outraged and surprised tone.

"It's one of the many powers of the Gosei Angels," said Sasogon, "they have a habit of interrupting the fun of the wicked."

"I won't let you harm an innocent!" Eri said defiantly, "plain and simple!"

"I'll do whatever I want, you blond bimbo!" Gaston shouted.

"You need your eyes checked, you pig!" Olette shouted.

"And a reality check," said Sara, "Eri's not stupid."

"Yeah, but she does have some airhead moments," said Ahim, she then looked at Eri, "no offense, but you're so happy so much."

"What can I say?" Eri asked, "I'm a happy girl."

"You won't be happy after I'm done with you," said Gaston as he cracked his knuckles.

"You can play around with the others," said Sasogon as she glared at Eri, "but Gosei Pink, I will ruin her with my anger!"

"Fair enough," said Gaston. He then pulled out a cloth bag, reached in, drew out a large handful of yellow and black pellets and threw them to the ground, the pellets expanding into several dozen Bibi Soldiers.

"Oh, not these things again!" Eri shouted as the Bibi Soldiers quickly surrounded her, Ahim, Mulan, Sara and Olette.

"Friends of yours?" Olette asked.

"No," said Eri, "but my friends and I had seen more than enough of these things back on our world."

"Then let's show them that they can't spread their evil to other worlds!" Mulan shouted defiantly.

"Gladly!" Eri said as she pulled open the mouth of her _Tensounder_.

_** 'Gotcha!'**_

"_Change _Card!" said Eri as she inserted the card into the device, held it out front and closed it, "_Tensou_!"

_** 'Change! Goseiger!'**_

A flash of white light and a flurry of cherry blossom pedals surrounded Eri, while a pair of shining golden wings formed on her back. The wings folded across the front of her body as a pink and white body suit and skit with white gloves and pink boots materialized on her. The wings formed a gold crest on the front of her top, while a pink helmet with a phoenix design, as well as a triple gold wing crest, appeared on her head. At her side was a blaster pistol with a barrel that could have different attachments.

"The Skyick Power of Breath! Gosei Pink!"

"Wow!" said Olette.

"It's about to get better," said Ahim. She then held up her Mobalite and Pink Ranger Key, "Gokai Change!" she inserted the key into the Mobalite and turned it.

** GOKAIGER!**

With a flash of three X's and a V, Ahim transformed, "Gokai Pink!"

"I'm not impressed!" said Gaston.

"Neither am I!" said Sasogon. "Bibi Soldiers! Do your worst!"

With that the yellow and black minions rushed in, as did the Gormin and Sugormin.

"_Twistornado _Card!" shouted Gosei Pink as she pulled open her _Tensounder_.

_** 'Gotcha!'**_

She inserted the card into the device and closed it, "_Tensou_!"

_** 'Explosion! Skyick Power!'**_

A whirlwind appeared around Gosei Pink, Gokai Pink, Sara, Olette and Mulan, blasting the incoming mooks off of their feet.

"Wow, those cards are awesome!" said Olette.

"You insufferable bitch!" Sasogon shouted as she slammed the butt of her spear on the ground, "insufferable! Insufferable! INSUFFERABLE!" with that she rushed at Gosei Pink, intending on running her through with her spear.

Gosei Pink dodged the spear and drew her blaster with one hand, the blaster having a small phoenix-like cap on the end of the barrel, while another blaster, one that was larger and was styled after phoenix feathers. She then tried to shoot Sasogon but the female sasquatch avoided the laser blasts, then tried to stab Gosei Pink again, then dodged another double laser blast.

Gokai Pink had her pistol and saber out and was about to help Gosei Pink, when she was forced to dodge Gaston's destruction beam, then countered by shooting at Gaston. The laser blast hit the brute in the upper torso, but the blaster burn quickly healed itself.

"Nice try, little girl," said an irate Gaston, "but not good enough!" he then rushed at Gokai Pink, throwing a punch that would have snapped her neck if she hadn't dodged it. She then slashed Gaston across the arm with her saber but the wound healed almost instantly. He then shot off his destruction beams, which Gokai Pink barely dodged. But she then ducked the next blast too slowly and was grazed on her right shoulder by the destruction beam. Her spandex-like armor kept her from being destroyed but took a lot of spark damage and was nearly knocked down.

"Pathetic!" Gaston shouted as he shot another destruction beam at Gokai Pink, only to be kicked in the head by Crystal Star, knocking the brute to the ground

"Choke on this!" Sara shouted as she directed Crystal Star to deliver a crushing kick to Gaston's skull, but then her instincts sensed several Bibi Soldiers were about to attack her from behind. Sara made Crystal Star jump up and over her, landing behind the yellow and black minions and with a fury of punches and kicks, destroyed them.

At the same time, Mulan and Olette were fighting back to back, the former hacking, slashing and stabbing with her sword, the later slinging spells with her staff, causing massive damage to the enemy minions around them. Yet more and more Bibi Soldiers kept appearing, while Gormin reinforcements also showed up.

Gosei Pink then attacked a device to the barrel of her blaster, a cap shaped like a phoenix head and shot a more powerful blast at Sasogon, hitting the female sasquatch in the hand and sending the creature's spear spinning out of her hands.

"How dare you!" snapped Sasogon as she clutched her wounded hand. "How dare you! How Dare You! HOW DARE YOU!

"I dare because I have to," said Gosei Pink as she aimed both her blasters at the female sasquatch, "now give up!"

"Or what? You'll punish me?" Sasogon asked in a daring tone, "We could keep fighting until we destroy each other, or," she then spread her arms wide, "or I can give you a hug."

"What?" Gosei Pink asked in a confused tone, lowering her blasters slightly.

"A hug!" Sasogon shouted, This was the opening Sasogon had hoped for as the female sasquatch rushed at Gosei Pink and before the spandex-armored angel could react, grabbed her in a bone crunching embrace.

"I'm gonna hug the life right out of you, angel girl!" exclaimed Sasogon as she increased the pressure of her bear hug against Gosei Pink, whom was struggling to break free but the massive arms of the female sasquatch had her completely restrained. Sparks began to shoot from her spandex-like armor as more and more pressure was exerted by Sasogon.

"Eri!" shouted Gokai Pink. She tried to rush to help, but had to dodge a destruction beam from Gaston, then was caught in the shoulder by another blast, emitting a shower of spar damage and knocking her down.

"We've got to help them!" Sara shouted.

"We're in trouble enough as it is!" shouted Mulan as she, Olette and Sara found themselves surrounded by Gormin and Bibi Soldiers.

* * *

"So, what's it like being a Samurai?" Hayner asked Ryunosuke as they, Tidus, Leon and Joe, navigated the crystal wastes towards the enemy base.

"Not as fun as you might think," said Ryunosuke.

"Fighting is never fun," said Leon, "you have to either be insane or an idiot if you truly enjoy the death, destruction and discord of battle."

"I never said I enjoy fighting," said Hayner, "I mean, I like it sometimes, like when practicing and when I'm in a Struggle tournament. But if I could, I'd avoid the real thing whenever possible."

"It's always better to avoid a fight," said Ryunosuke, "but some enemies cannot be reasoned with. Some battles cannot be avoided."

"You got that right," said Tidus, "I once had to fight this huge ugly monster that nearly wiped out all life on Spira," he then frowned, "and either I'm losing my mind, or I remember that monster was really my dad, and he was a real jerk before be became a monster."

"He must have fallen into Gedoushu," said Ryunosuke, "his soul must have been so tainted by his sins, he became a malevolent entity driven to inflict pain and misery on the living."

"Actually, he became a monster after he helped destroy a monster," said Tidus, "long story."

"I can imagine," said Ryunosuke, "so, about being a Samurai. You have to follow specific rules of honor and loyalty," he then smirked, "although there were some in the current generation of Shinkengers whom would gladly throw all of Bushido out of the window. But for me, I would gladly die for our way of life if it would ensure a peaceful future for humanity.

"What else now? Loyalty. Each generation of Shinkenger obeys and follows Shinken Red, the current Shiba family Lord whom by blood and tradition, is the team leader. We, the loyal vassals, follow our Lord into battle and fight along side him against Gedoushu, relentlessly striving to hold back the tides of sorrow before humanity drowns in misery."

"A hero by any other name," said Tidus.

"If only it were as simple as fighting," said Ryunosuke, "aside from battling Gedoushu, we vassals are honor-bounded to protect our Lord, both in and out of battle," he then frowned, "though there were times when Lord Takeru would risk his life for the rest of us, Lady Kaoru too, and if Jii-san could use Mojikara he'd fight along with us."

"Mojo-what?" Hayner asked.

"Mojikara," said Ryunosuke as he took out a red and black cell phone and pressed a switch that twisted it into a large pen, "Character Power, which we utilize through our Shodo Phones," he then traced the pen in the air, the tip leaving blue ink marks in the air as Ryunosuke formed the kanji for 'apple.' When he finished drawing, he 'spun' the symbol around and in a flash, an apple fell out of nowhere and landed in his hand.

"Wow!" an amazed Hayner said, "that's got to be magic or something!"

"It kind of is magic, but isn't," said Ryunosuke.

"Oh My God! That's the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Tidus exclaimed. He then frowned, "I mean, in this life. I don't know, I'm getting really confused by all these past life memories."

Joe was about to make a comment on past lives when he heard the sound of multiple approaching footsteps. Leon heard the footsteps as well and signaled for Ryunosuke, Tidus and Hayner to be quiet. As the footsteps got louder, the five heroes took cover behind a crystal outcropping.

Joe and Ryunosuke glanced around their cover to see a squad of Gormin and Sugormin, as well as Sephiroth and Yadokarikeiri.

"You've been awfully quiet," said Sephiroth.

"I have very little to say," said the hermit crab executioner, "especially to humans."

"I am no human," said Sephiroth, "I am…"

"I know what you are!" spat Yadokarikeiri irately as he grabbed his gourd, uncorked and took a swig from it, "you're a genetically engineered super soldier whom sought to become a god and wound up causing a lot of death and destruction. You sicken me."

"Surprising words from one of Gedoushu," said Sephiroth.

"I am what I am because I had no choice," said Yadokarikeiri, "I was obeying my master, but the weight of my sins was too much to bear, so I took my life and fell into the river Sanzu."

"You remember being human," said Sephiroth.

"I was a High Executioner during the Warring States period," said Yadokarikeiri, "and I was very good at my job. Tens of thousands lost their heads by my hands. These were traitors, prisoners of war, petty criminals and ordinary men, women and children who's only crime was pissing off their fife holders.

"By day I did my job with indifference. One victim was like the other, just a head that needed to be severed from the body. But in my dreams, I remembered their eyes, their look of unadulterated terror and hopelessness. After many, many years of seeing their eyes in my sleep, I couldn't take it anymore, so I did the honorable thing and committed seppuku. Yet taking my own life wasn't enough to cleanse my soul of my sins, because the next thing I knew, I was in the river Sanzu and had become this walking abomination you see."

"And yet you find me disgusting," said Sephiroth.

"You're disgusting because you have no remorse for your crimes!" snapped Yadokarikeiri, "I'm different from other Ayakashi. The majority of us have no memory of our human lives, no emotion save for the negative feelings that drove us to our aquatic hell and the desire to spread fear, hate and sorrow among the living. But I remember and I wish with every fiber of my twisted existence that I could reverse time and change myself before it was too late.

"But _you_, you relish in your sins and seek to commit more. You think you can do whatever you want without consequence. Well, you're wrong," the hermit crab executioner then raised his clawed arms, "I'm the proof."

"If you're so remorseful about your mistakes and wish to undo them," said Sephiroth, "then why are you working with Zangyack?"

"That's what I want to know," said Ryunosuke as he stepped out from behind the crystal outcropping.

"What are you doing?!" Leon exclaimed as he, Joe, Tidus and Hayner, also came out from cover, "you let them know we're here!"

"So did you," said Tidus.

"And you," said Hayner.

"We all did," said Joe. He then looked at Yadokarikeiri, "Well, he asked you a question, so answer."

"What bold children you are," said Sephiroth to Joe and Ryunouske.

"Boldness in moderation is one of the qualities of a samurai," said Ryunosuke. He then looked at Yadokarikeiri, "so, why are you working for Zangyack?"

"It's complicated," said Yadokarikeiri, "and it's partly your fault, Shinkenger! You and the other samurai who destroyed so many of my comrades, you must be punished for your sins!"

"What sin would that be?" Leon asked, "the Shinkengers defend their world from Gedoushu."

"You're the ones who needed to be punished!" said Hayner.

"My fellow Ayakashi only acted on their instincts," said Yadokarikeiri, "Lord Doukoku and the other higher ups were obsessed with flooding the river Sanzu into the human world, but all I wanted was to be left alone on the riverbed, to wallow in my own misery in solitude.

"But then you Shinkengers ruined everything by destroying Lord Doukoku and so many of my comrades! All in all it caused the river Sanzu to ebb to the lowest levels in memory. To be blunt, you dried up my home!"

"So that's why you're working with Zangyack?" Joe asked, "because the Shinkengers ruined your self-exiled misery?"

"That's no excuse!" said Tidus, "I mean, I'd be pissed if I lost my home, if I lived at the bottom of a river in an evil afterlife and was a crab thing."

"Being forced out of the river Sanzu wasn't the only thing," said Yadokarikeiri, "by now enough human pain and misery has raised the river level again. But being evicted was what I needed to snap out of my depression."

"Wait," said Ryunosuke in a thoughtful tone, "something's wrong, very wrong. How long have you been away from the river Sanzu?"

"Long enough to have dried up and crumble into dust several times over by now," said Yadokarikeiri, "but I have something my comrades didn't have." he then held up his gourd, "this enchanted flask draws water from the river Sanzu across time and space, refilling itself as I need it, so whenever I begin to dry out, I can rehydrate myself at my own leisure. I won't bore you as to how I got the flask, but needless to say, I haven't back to the River Sanzu since and I'm still here.

"When I realized that I no longer needed to return to my aquatic hell, I had…an epiphany of sorts. I didn't have to spread pain and misery, I had a choice in my existence."

"Then why are you working for Zangyack!?" exclaimed Ryunosuke.

"I'm getting to it," said the hermit crab executioner, "you see, my epiphany revealed more to me than my freedom from the river Sanzu. I discovered a path to a new level of freedom, a path that leads to a higher level of the afterlife, a path to true peace, a path to heaven."

"And just how is Zangyack going to help you get to heaven?" Leon asked.

"I'm curious to that as well," said Sephiroth, "this tale of yours is getting a little long."

"It's almost over," said Yadokarikeiri, "in order for me to ascend to heaven, I must avenge my fallen comrades. I must avenge Gedoushu. And to do that," the crab-like creature then hefted the chain of his flying guillotine, "I must take your head, Shinken Blue!" he then threw the bladed end of his weapon at Ryunosuke, the disk and compartment ready to land on his head and the blades to slice through the neck.

Quick as lightning, Ryunosuke brought up his Shodo Phone and used the brush feature to draw the kanji for 'Sword,' spun the symbol and a katana with a gold and black handle and an inverted cone-shaped, mirror-like guard appeared in his hand, which he used to deflect the flying guillotine.

"Where did you get the idea that cutting off my head would send you to heaven?" Ryunosuke asked as he assumed a defensive stand with his sword, while Leon, Tidus and Hayner drew their weapons and Joe brought out his Mobalite and Ranger Key.

"It just wandered into my mind as I was wandering about," said Yadokarikeiri as he pulled back the chain on his weapon, reading the flying guillotine for another throw, "to cut a long story short, I was picked up by an advanced group of Zangyack spies, brought to the court of Lady Karlaz and was given a sponsorship by Janicia Pzaomsiko. So here I am, ready to take your head! And when I'm done with you, I'm going to take the heads of the other Shinkengers, saving Shinken Red for last!"

"You'll never take my friend's heads!" shouted Ryunosuke as he held his sword in his left hand, while bringing his brush-like cell phone to bear in the right, "especially not Lord Takeru!"

"You're just as crazy as Karlaz!" said Tidus, "and that's saying something!"

"Perhaps," said Yadokarikeiri as he brought out a large pouch and took out a handful of yellow and red pellets, "or maybe I'm sane and the rest of existence is crazy. All I know is that by serving Lady Karlaz and Zangyack, I'll be able to destroy you Shinkengers and ascend! And I'll start with you, Shinken Blue, you and your friends!" he then threw the pellets to the ground, which expanded into dozens of Nanashi, which quickly swarmed around Ryunosuke, Joe, Leon, Tidus and Hayner.

"Friends of yours?" Hayner asked as he and the others found themselves surrounded by Nanashi, which were quickly joined by Gormin and Sugormin.

"Not in your life," said Ryunosuke. He then glared at Yadokarikeiri, "you want my head? You'll have to earn it! _Shodo Phone_!" he then brought his brush-like cell phone up, "_Ippitsu Sōjō_!" He then drew the kanji for 'water.' When the character was finished, he spun it around and pressed a button on his brush.

The blue kanji symbol enlarged and merged with Ryunosuke, covering him in spandex-like armor that was blue on top with black pants, blue boots and white gloves and a gold belt, while two black stripes with white borders crossed over his chest. A smaller 'water' kanji merged into his head, forming a blue helmet stylized after the mentioned kanji.

He then took a blue disk, inserted it onto the handle of sword so it was secured to the mirror-like guard, then assumed a pose with his sword in his right hand and left held out in front of his face, "Shinken Blue! Ikenami Ryunosuke! Going Fourth!"

"Gokai Change!" said Joe as he inserted his Ranger Key into his Mobalite and turned it.

** GOKAIGER!**

"Goaki Blue!"

"Let's show these jackasses how we do things in the realms of light!" Hayner shouted. He then rushed at the Nanashi and beheaded one before the other coral-like minions could react. Tidus and Leon joined Hayner in attacking the minions, now destroying Nanashi and Gormin.

At the same time Shinken Blue had attacked Yadokarikeiri, with the hermit crab-like monster having winding the chain of his flying guillotine around his shell-like body and drawing his axes, blocking Shinken Blue's sword strikes and found his attacks blocked in return.

"I will take your head, Shiken Blue!" shouted the hermit crab-like creature as he tried to decapitate the blue samurai, whom blocked the creature's vicious axes.

"Your lust for revenge will be your undoing, Gedoushu!" shouted Shinken Blue. He then spun the blue disk on his sword, while the mirror-like guard on his sword reflected an image of an origami dragon. The sword was then charged with water-based energy and slashed at Yadokarikeiri, inflicting a shower of spark damage.

"Not bad, kiddo," said Yadokarikeiri, "but not bad enough! I haven't come this far to be stopped by a second rate actor!"

"Being second rate is better than none!" said Shinken Blue, "and don't judge an actor before you see his performance!" he then faked to the left, then to the right before jumping back. He then spun the blue disk again and a blue longbow appeared in his hands.

"Water Arrow!" Shinken Blue shouted as he took aim and shot a water-charged arrow at Yadokarikeiri. The arrow struck the creature, inflicting spark damage yet he was still standing, rushing headlong at Shinken Blue where they exchanged sword and axe attacks again.

Meanwhile, Gokai Blue and Sephiroth were locked in a furious duel, with the blue space pirate hacking, slashing and stabbing at the one-winged angel, with the later villain repaying in kind.

"I'll admit," said Sephiroth as he tried to impale Gokai Blie with Masamune, "you're a competent swordsman, for a lowly space pirate!"

"You're not too shabby either!" said Gokai Blue as he dodged Masamune, then tried to disarm Sephiroth by shooting with his pistol, but Sephiroth blocked the pistol blast, "for a mutated psychopath!"

"One man's psychopath is another's potential god!" said Sephiroth. He then appeared to vanish, only to appear above Gokai Blue with Masamune pointing down in both hands, intending to impale Gokai Blue from behind.

But Gokai Blue sensed the rear attack and dodged it. He then noticed a slightly disoriented Nanashi and grabbed the creature's sword, "mind if I borrow this?" the blue space pirate asked, then kicked the creature in the head. He then turned to the left and slashed Sephiroth across the arm as the one-winged angel was recovering from his failed sneak attack.

"Had enough?" Gokai Blue asked as he prepared to keep fighting, assuming a dual-sword stance.

"I've only just begun," said Sephiroth as he ignored his cut arm, "I acknowledge your skills as a sword master, but this battle is already decided. You cannot defeat me."

"That remains to be seen," said Gokai Blue. With that the two swordsmen rushed at each other, exchanging blows in a fury of clashing steel. But as they separated to launch a fresh spree of attacks, Gokai Blue noticed that two Nanashi armed with bows and arrows were drawing aim at Hayner, whom was completely oblivious to the incoming danger.

"Look out!" Gokai Blue shouted, only to duck a sword strike from Sephiroth. He could only watch as the two Nanashi released their arrows on Hayner.

* * *

"Just how many alternate worlds are there that are connected to Earth?" Ranma asked as he, Hercules, Will and Kirjava, Hanto and Doc, trekked across the Crystal Wastes.

"There's at least nine Brane Worlds connected to my Earth," said Hanto, "but my friends and I have only been to a few of them. There's Machine World where our Engine partners came from."

"And what a _fantástico _world it is, _Bar Baru_!" said Birca.

"A world of living machines," said Hercules, "now that's a world I'd like to visit."

"But what do machines do on a machine world?" Ranma asked.

"Lots of racing, actually, _Bar Baru_!" said Birca, "but we've got other stuff there too. But it gets pretty boring sometimes. If we didn't have our partners like Hanto and the others, we wouldn't have lasted long on Earth."

"What does that mean?" Kirjava asked.

"Engines can't remain in their true size on Earth," said Hanto, "so they're split into to parts," he then pulled out a small metal case and opened it, revealing a die cast motorcycle stylized after a green orca, "this is Birca's Engine Cast."

"What you're seeing," said Birca, "is my Engine Soul, _bar baru_!"

"When the two are put together, Birca and the other Engines resume their full size and we fight with them in battle," said Hanto, "but only for ten minutes. After that they begin to rust and it could kill them."

"I think I understand," said Will.

"You do?" Ranma asked, "it's all Greek to me."

"No, it's quite simple," said Will, "the Engines and their human partners, they share a bond through their hearts that's almost like the bond between Human and Daemon."

"I'm his soul, by the way," said Kirjava to Hanto and Birca.

"Well, _señorita_," said Birca, "you are one lovely soul, _bar baru_!"

"Why, thank you, good sir," said Kirjava, "just keep your fins to yourself. It's forbidden to touch another's Daemon."

"That's okay, _ba baru_," said Birca, "you can touch me all you want, I don't mind."

"I'm lost," said Ranma, "weren't we talking about other worlds?"

"Oh, yeah, we were," said Doc, "this one time, we went to Gunman World, which is like The Old West."

"And Samurai World is like going back to the Edo period," said Hanto, "there's also Junk World, Sound World, Stormy World, Magic World and even a Christmas World where everyone's dressed up like Santa Clause."

"And these worlds are all connected with Earth?" Ranma asked. He then scratched his head, "all this talk about other worlds is giving me a headache. It's bad enough that I had to adjust to a world full of talking ponies."

"You sound like you regret living among The Little Ponies," said Will.

"No, it's great in Dream Valley," said Ranma, "the whole world's paradise after Nermia, Tokyo."

"Oh, Nermia," said Hanto, "I had a bad experience there, no, it was more like several bad experiences. There's a lot of strange people in that part of Tokyo."

"You don't know the half of it," said Ranma, "ever run into this old lady whom keeps dumping water onto the sidewalk?"

"I got soaked two times while delivering pizza!" said Hanto, "and I'm not the only one who complained about here. What about Furinkan High? Is that school still run by that Hawaiian nut job?"

"Obsessed with giving the kids really bad haircuts," said Ranma, "man, this is too weird. Can we talk about something else? Something that doesn't involve crazy sciency stuff." He then looked at Will and Kirjava, "how's things with you and Lyra?"

"We're just good friends!" Will snapped impulsively.

"Then how come you two kept avoiding each other back at the meeting?" Ranma asked, "trust me, you two got it bad."

"Got what bad?" Will asked.

"Don't deny it," said Ranma, "I've been in enough relationships to know when someone's in love."

"I do love Lyra," said Will, "and I know she loves me in return."

"But we can't be together," said Kirjava.

"Yeah, I know about how you'll be dead if you spent too much time away from your home dimension," said Ranma. "If you two really love each other, then you'd find another way."

"You're one to talk about relations," said Will irately, "how many fiancées have you had before you settled with Sara?"

"I…ah…well," said Ranma hesitantly, "you know, that's a good question. I honestly lost count."

"If I could make a suggestion," said Hanto, "maybe you're worrying too much about the difficulties in your relationship."

"Let's see," said Ranma, "there's Akane, then Kodatchi…"

"Yeah," said Hercules, "focus on the good parts, like how much you do love each other."

"And then I had to deal with Shampoo and Ukyo," said Ranma.

"I love Lyra with all my heart," said Will, "just as Kirjava loves Pantalimon."

"We're a dual match," said Kirjava.

"And then there's all those weird martial artists I had to fight," said Ranma, "oh, and Kuno, but he's only in love with me when I'm a girl."

"Then you should focus on enjoying what time you have together," said Hanto.

"Or switch back and forth between worlds every few years, _bar baru_!" said Birca. He then blinked in shock and looked at Ranma, "wait, did you just say you're a girl?"

"I…no," said Ranma, "I'm not a girl."

"Then how come you said that another guy is in love with you?" Doc asked.

At that Ranma scratched his head in frustration, "I really don't want to talk about this right now. We've got to get to that Zangyack camp, bust some heads and recover the stolen powers."

"We've got time until we get there," said Hercules.

"I guess so," said Ranma. He then looked at Will and Kirjava, "don't suppose Sora ever told you about my curse, did he? Or didn't you notice me as a girl during the fighting on Twilight Town and on The World That Never Was."

"I was too busy worrying about Lyra and everyone else," said Will.

"Sora didn't tell me about any curse," said Hercules.

"Okay," said Ranma reluctantly, "long story short, this one time I fell into a cursed spring and ever since cold water turns me into a girl, even as little as a raindrop will do the trick. Hot water turns me back to normal."

"I don't believe it," said Doc, "you can't turn into a girl, it's impossible."

Just then a single drop of cold water fell out of a passing cloud and hit Ranma's exposed left hand. In the blink of an eye, Ranma had become Ranma-chan. "See!?" she exclaimed irately, "I'm cursed!"

"_Ay dios mio_!" exclaimed Birca.

"I had to see it to believe it," said an astonished Doc, "I mean…I've seen some pretty incredible things in space and on Earth, but this…"

"…is a very serious curse," said Will, "have you tried to get it broken?"

"More times than I'd like to count," said Ranma-chan, "and each time it either didn't work at all, it worked but only for a short time or ended very badly for me and my friends. Sara and her friends are okay with it, but me, I'd probably do just about anything to be normal again."

"Don't ever say that!" said Hercules, "wanting to be normal isn't as wonderful as you think. This one time I made a deal with Hades; my powers in exchange for Meg's safety. It nearly destroyed everyone and everything I cared about."

"Giving up something that makes you special could make things worse," said Kirjava.

"You'd feel like me if you turned into a tomcat whenever you touched cold water," said Ranma-chan.

"I used to be able to turn into any animal I wanted," said Kirjava, "before I settled on this shape."

"Well, I'd still like to go for a walk without constantly worrying about being splashed by cold water," said Ranma-chan as she frowned irately.

"I'm sure you'll find a cure someday," said Will, "one that works."

"If Phil were here," said Hercules, "he'd have eight words for you; Cheer Up And Never Give Up Hope. Wait, that's only seven words."

"How about something more simple," said Hanto. He then walked up to Ranma-chan, "if my friend Saki were here, she'd say just two words," he then used his index fingers to touch Ranma-chan on the corners of her frown and turned it upside down, "smile-smile!"

At that Ranma-chan laughed and smiled for real, "hey, thanks, that really made me feel better," she then frowned again as she backed away from Hanto, "just don't touch me again."

Hanto was about to retort, when Hercules hissed for silence. They all then heard the sound of several approaching footsteps and hid behind an outcropping of crystals.

Doc and Hanto looked around their cover and saw Lady Tremaine, Dakkoliam and a squad of Gormin and Sugormin.

"I have little use for machines," said Lady Tremaine, "especially those that do nothing but pollute."

"You don't strike me as one who cares for the environment-zappa," said Dakkoliam, "in fact, you're the kind of person who wouldn't even blink at the sight of toxic waters, smog-choked air and despoiled lands."

"I would blink," said Lady Tremaine, "do you have any idea how damaging polluted air can be for the skin? And polluted water and land, all the diseases you can catch, it'd destroy your face before you could blink."

"Oh, of course," said Dakkoliam in a disapproving manner, "vanity. How very much like Kegareshia you are-zappa."

"Like who?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Water Pollution Minister Kegareshia, one of the three Pollution Ministers in the initial invasion of Earth-zappa," said Dakkoliam, "and an incredibly vain creature at that. The slightest insult to her beauty and she would blow her top. Seriously, she'd build up enough steam pressure to explode if her relief valve wasn't used-zappa."

"What a pathetic administrator," said Lady Tremaine.

"You're one to talk-zappa," said Dakoliam, "considering how eager you were to sell your own daughters for power-zappa."

At that Lady Tremaine glared wrathfully at the rusting creature, "I'll thank you to never mention Anastasia or Drizella ever again! They're dead to me! And why do you keep saying that?"

"Saying what-zappa?" Dakkoliam asked.

"That," said Lady Tremaine, "that 'zap' thing."

"I don't know what you're talking about-zappa," said Dakkoliam, "so stop making fun of me-zappa!"

"I'm not making fun of you," said Lady Tremaine, "you're the one who accused me of antagonizing you."

But then Hercules accidentally pressed too hard against the crystal outcropping, causing it to fall over and expose himself, Ranma-chan, Hanto, Doc, Will and Kirjava, to Dakkoliam, Regina and the squad of Gormin and Sugormin.

"Uh…hi there," said Hercules to the two villains and the mooks. He then looked at his fellow heroes, "sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Ranma-chan, "I'm kind of a bad luck magnet."

"Luck had nothing to do with it-zappa," said Dakkoliam, "it was fate that brought us together," he then looked viciously at Hanto, "Go-On Green, we meet at last-zappa."

"You're with Gaiark," said Hanto.

"Guilty as charged-zappa!" said the rusting creature, "I am Undersecretary Dakkoliam of Barbaric Machine Clan Gaiark and the one whom shall avenge my fallen comrades-zappa!"

"Doing what, recycling their computers?" Ranma-chan asked. This caused Doc, Hanto and Birca, Will and Kirjava to laugh, while Hercules simply didn't get the joke.

"Don't make fun of me, human!" snapped Dakkoliam, "I've a very serious bone to pick with the Go-Ongers-zappa!"

"It must be serious, _bar baru_!" said Birca, "we pretty much wiped out Gaiark."

"You have no idea-zappa," said Dakkolaim, "you Go-Ongers, and those horrid Go-On Wings and your horrible Engine allies, you ruined us-zappa. There are only a few of us left in Gaiark-zappa. We're all on the run from you since you began hunting us across the Brane Worlds.

"As a midlevel bureaucrat, I was spared from the initial invasion, the downfall of the Ministers and your relentless pursuit of Gaiark survivors-zappa. But my days as a mere pencil pusher ended when I learned that Crime Minister Yogoshimacritein fell to you Go-Ongers-zappa.

"But I didn't see it as a sign of defeat-zappa. I saw it as a golden opportunity, a chance for an undersecretary to rise up and restore Gaiark to its former glory and to take that glory to further heights-zappa!"

"And you were going to do it alone?" Kirjava asked.

"No, not alone-zappa!" said Dakkolaim. "Wait, did that cat just talk-zappa?"

"It's a long story," said Will as he picked up Kirjava, "so, you were saying?"

"Oh, right-zappa," said Dakkolaim, "nearly everyone else left in Gaiark is on the run and was unavailable to help me, so I did start out alone-zappa. While the Go-Ongers were on their crusade to wipe out my remaining comrades, I traveled across Earth, seeking out the most polluted areas on the planet; contaminated land, toxic seas and the heaviest concentrations of smog, as well as visiting Chernobyl and other nuclear storage facilities-zappa. I collected samples of pollution and planned them to create a new generation of Barbaric Machine Beasts and hordes of Ugatzs, and I would be their supreme overlord-zappa! And I would lead the new Gaiark to a new world where we would create a perfect putrid paradise-zappa!"

"Man, that's gross!" said Ranma-chan.

"If I wanted your opinion, toots, I'd give it to you-zappa!" snapped Dakkoliam, "anyway, I would have created paradise by now, except I lack the means to create my new comrades. That's where Lady Karlaz comes in-zappa. I was contacted by advanced Zangyack spies and recruited as an Action Commander-zappa.

"I eventually found my way into the service of Lady Karlaz and after slaughtering other Action Commanders to earn her blessing, not to mention earning the sponsorship of Huvnario Yr, Lady Karlaz promised that as soon as she was on the throne of Zangyack, she'd give me the means to create my new comrades-zappa. But first thing's first-zappa."

"And what would that be, _bar baru_?" Birca asked nervously.

"Destroying the Go-Ongers and their Engine partners, of course-zappa!" said Dakkoliam, "starting with you, Engine Birca and your human partner, Go-On Green!" he then pulled out several of the rust-brown and gray pellets and threw them to the ground, which expanded into Ugatz, which quickly surrounded Hanto, Doc, Hercules, Ranma-chan, Will and Kirjava.

"Oh, not these things again!" Hanto exclaimed.

"At least they're already rusting," said Will as he set Kirjava down and drew his sword, while Hercules and Ranma assumed fighting stances.

"Then let's send them to the scrap heap!" said Kirjava as she bared her teeth and claws.

"My thoughts exactly," said Doc as he pulled out his Mobalite and green Ranger Key.

"Let's get them, Hanto, _bar baru_!" said Birca.

"You got it, Brica," said Hanto as he pulled out a chip-like device and inserted it into a wrist device with a large switch, "Change Soul! Set! Let's Go-On!" he then flipped the switch.

A gold and green energy ring surrounded him, producing a sound like several race cars passing by at high speed. The ring materialized into green spandex-like armor, while four tire-like rings appeared on his wrists and ankles. A set of silver stripes and a silver number 4 shaped like Birca appeared on the chest, while a green helmet with an orca theme appeared over his head that had wheels built into the side.

"'Met On!" said Hanto as he reached up, grabbed the helmet and put it on, the wheels spinning as the helmet locked into place.

"_Doki Doki _Delight! Go-On Green!"

"Gokai Change!" shouted Doc as he inserted his Ranger Key into his Mobalite and turned it.

**GOKAIGER!**

"Gokai Green!"

"I don't need no fancy transformation sequence!" said Ranma-chan as she cracked her knuckles, only to duck as several Ugatz and some of the Gormin rushed at her, "jeez!" she shouted as she punched one Ugatz in the head, then kicked a Gormin in the chest. "Just once I'd like an adventure where no one was trying to kill me!"

"Then it wouldn't be an adventure!" said Hercules as he ripped apart an Ugatz, then grabbed a Gormin and tossed it into the air, the hapless mook shooting up like a guided missile into the atmosphere, eventually slamming into the shield and self destructing.

"Though a quiet adventure would be nice for once," said Will as he stabbed a Gormin, then ducked as two Sugormin shot their blasters at him. Kirjava ran between the blue mooks and slashed at their ankles with her claws. Startled, the Sugormin turned to shoot down at Kirjava but the feline daemon was already on to another mook, so the two Sugormin wound up blasting each other.

Gokai Green was ducking and dodging several Gormin and Ugatz, only to turn around and blast one Ugatz, forced two more to trip and then bash another Gormin in the head with the handle of his saber, then shoved another Ugatz into several more Ugatz, causing them to trip and fall to the ground.

Meanwhile, Go-On Green had drew a blaster pistol stylized after a gas pump dispenser, "Mantan Gun!" he shouted as he took Birca's Soul and inserted it into the blaster, then used it to shoot several Ugatz. He then converted the blaster into a sword mode and used it to slash several more Ugatz, then was forced to dodge a bolt of orange electricity.

"Hold still, you stupid human-zappa!" shouted Dakkoliam as his shoulder spikes crackled with electricty. He then shot another bolt from his spikes at Go-On Green, "hold still so I can render you asunder!"

"Never!" shouted Go-On Green as he converted his Mantan gun back to its blaster mode and returned fire at Dakkoliam, only for the rusting creature to project an energy barrier from its fan-like hands.

"You'll have to do better than that-zappa!" shouted Dakkoliam as he aimed his hands at Go-On Green, the fans then began spinning and produced a gale force wind that nearly knocked Go-On Green down.

But then Go-On Green pulled out a large green axe and used it to cut through the wind, dissipating it, "Bridge Axe!" He then rushed at Dakkoliam, but then was forced to duck another bolt of electricity.

"Enjoying yourself?" Lady Tremaine asked smugly as she stood to the side with her arms crossed.

"Don't just stand there-zappa!" shouted Dakkolaim, "help me, woman!"

"I will," said Lady Tremaine, "but only because it suits me so!" she then aimed her hands at Ranma-chan and Will and fired her torment beams. The dark energy rays hit Ranma-chan and Will, causing them and Kirjava to collapse to the ground, crying out in unparallel agony.

"What are you doing-zappa!?" Dakkolaim exclaimed as he ducked an axe swing from Go-On Green, "you're suppose to help me-zappa!"

"I am," said Lady Tremaine in a wickedly satisfied tone, blissfully enjoying the torment she was inflicting, "with these two and a half brats out of commission, more of your minions are free to assist you!"

Sure enough, Go-On Green and Gokai Green found themselves surrounded by Ugatz and Gormin.

"We've got to help them!" Gokai Green shouted as he bashed a Gormin on the head, then ducked an attack from an Ugatz.

"I agree, but we're in a jam ourselves!" said Go-On Green as he dodged several Gormin and Ugatz.

* * *

"So, what's _Juken _all about?" Yuffie asked as she, Selphie, Lyra and Pan, Ran and Luka, made their way through the crystal wastes towards the enemy base.

"It's simple and complicated all at once," said Ran, "it's more than learning self defense, discipline and inner enrichment. It's about finding the beast within and harnessing it through the triangle of _Geki Juken _Beast Arts; Unbreakable Body, Honest Heart and Fantastic Technique."

"You're the second side of the triangle," said Lyra, "the Honest Heart."

"I remember when I wished you had more of an honest heart," said Pan.

"My lies got us out of more sticky situations than I'd like to count," said Lyra, "I am far more truthful than I used to be, you know that, Pan." Lyra then smiled mischievously as she looked at her traveling companions, "still, there's a reason why my last name is Silvertongue."

"A single lie is more interesting than a thousand truths," said Yuffie.

"Yet the truth is what sets us free," said Selphie. She then frowned slightly, "I think I'm having a bit of an identity crisis."

"How so?" Ran asked.

"You look pretty sane to me," said Luka, "and considering all the insanity that's happening around us, that's a big deal."

"I'm not crazy," said Selphie, "but I sometimes feel like two different persons. I used to be very upbeat, playful and somewhat childish. This was in my former life and in my current one. But ever since I remembered my past life, I've been way too serious, like…"

"Like what?" Yuffie asked.

"Like I've been forced to grow up twice," said Selphie, "the only way I can really explain it is…it's like I had to mature too much, too quickly."

"Hmm, that is a big deal," said Ran, "I used to take things way too seriously too; way too uptight and not enjoying myself enough."

"What made you loosen up?" Yuffie asked.

"I learned to enjoy life more," said Ran, "that you can have fun even in the most serious of training, while also learning more about Technique and Body. My friends also learned more about the aspects of _Geki Juken_, while my friend Retsu learned not to over think and to trust his instincts. Jyan, he was mostly complete when we first met him."

"Your friends sound amazing," said Lyra.

"Every _Super Sentai _is full of amazing people," said Ran, "but this world is…"

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?" Yuffie asked.

"Uh…yeah," said Ran, "something like that." At that the five humans and daemon laughed.

But then Yuffie tensed up and waved for silence. They all then heard the sound of multiple approaching footsteps. They quickly took cover behind a crystal outcropping. Ran and Luka peeked around and saw Dio Brando and Devapioret, accompanied by a squad of Gormin and Sugormin.

"I heard something!" Devapioret said as she looked around anxiously, "I heard someone laughing at me!"

"I didn't hear anything," said Dio Brando, "you're imagining things."

"Are you accusing me of being delusional?" Devapioret asked as she glared irately at Dio Brando, "I'm not insane!"

"Hey, you said it, I didn't," Dio Brando remarked, "besides, I'm not the one who looks like they flopped a Swan Lake audition."

"Oh, so now you're criticizing my dancing skills?" Devapioret asked. With that she performed several ballet steps, finishing with a graceful leap over Dio Brando's head and landing perfectly on one foot, which earned a round of applause from the Gormin and Sugormin.

"Wow, she's good," Yuffie whispered, only to be shushed by Luka, Ran, Selphie, Lyra and Pan.

"Okay, so, you can dance," said Dio Brando, "so, why'd you hook up with Zangyack?"

"That's a very long and heart wrenching story," said Devapioret, "you wouldn't want to hear it." She then let out an overly dramatic sigh, "but, if you insist, then I shall tell you my tale of woe."

"Come to think of it," said Dio Brando, "I'd rather…"

"It began when I was but a slip of a girl in London," said Devapioret, "at the dawn of the 20th Century. My mother was a star ballet dancer and as far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a ballet star just like her. My father was a piano player for the ballet company, so both my parents supported my dreams."

"Let me guess," said Dio Brando in an annoyed tone, "you began dancing the moment you could walk. And you practiced day in and day out until your feet bled."

"I wouldn't say I went that far," said Devapioret, "but I was a dedicated student and would have made Prima Ballerina by the time I was twelve. But alas, tragedy struck and my dreams were rent asunder!"

"You broke your ankle and hand to work even harder to get back in shape in time for the big recital," said Dio Brando.

"No," said Devapioret, "my father had a heart attack and died in his sleep. My mother was forced to remarry least we face destitution. My stepfather was a brute of a man whom hated dancing."

"He either broke your legs or raped you," said Dio Brando, "that's all I got."

"He drove my mother to suicide and sold me to a workhouse," said Devapioret. "Needless to say, I was a slave for only a short time. A visitor from China saw my potential and purchased my freedom. The price was that I had to forsake my calling as a dancer and take up _Rin Juken Akugata_."

At that Selphie, Yuffie, Lyra and Pan noticed Ran had tensed up with surprise and anger, while Luka simply looked worried and a bit angry.

"From that day," Devapioret continued, "I molted my human identity and became a creature of death and destruction. My benefactor was training me to resurrect _Rin Ju Den _and dominate the world with sorrow and disperse. Yet as I trained to become a supreme Dark Lady, I still harbored in my heart the desire to dance.

"One day as my training was nearing completion, I dared to defy my master and danced. It was both joy and sorrow at once, for while I still had my mother's grace, the movements I learned from her were tainted by my darker training.

"But then my master happened upon me and was enraged. How dare I defy him by dancing? I demanded to know why I was forbidden to dance. He said that to dance was to take joy from life when joy was a lie, that sorrow was the only reality in the world. To make a long story short, I fought my master and we wound up killing each other."

"So, you died," said Dio Brando, "but that still doesn't explain why you're with Zangyack."

"Wouldn't you like to know!" Devapioret snapped, "needless to say, if anyone is to be blamed for my association with Zangyack, it's those wretched _Gekirangers _whom are at fault."

At that Ran sneezed.

"I heard that!" exclaimed Devapioret as she looked around with wrathful anxiety, "I know someone's here! So come out and face me, you coward!"

Ignoring the looks of 'don't do it!' from her companions, Ran boldly stepped out from the crystal outcropping and faced Devapioret, "I believe you're looking for me," said Ran as she glared defiantly at Devapioret.

"Uzaki Ran," said Devapioret, "of _Geki Juken _Beast Arts."

"And you're of _Rin Ju Akugata_," said Ran, "not that I needed to hear you say it. I could sense your _Zowa-Zowa _all the way from here."

"My what?" Devapioret asked in a confused tone.

"I have no idea," said Dio Brando.

"It's what Jyan would say when he sensed evil," said Ran, "he was raised by tigers and had his own words to describe things," She then looked at Devapioret, "and if you really were with _Rin Ju Akugata_, "then you'd know that about Jyan."

"You're right, I didn't know," said Devapioret, "but to continue with my tale of woe, I was resurrected along side countless other fallen Juken users by Rio in his initial efforts to restore _Rin Ju Den_. Initially I was just a _Rinsi _but I fought hard to be elevated to _Rinrinsi _in The Chamber of Trials. Yet as I defeated more and more of my resurrected comrades, more of my memories were awakened.

"Eventually I remembered my dreams of dancing, so I ran from _Rin Ju Den _and set out to finally achieve my dream. By then I was able to assume human form and pass for a genuine human. I signed on with a ballet company in New York and began performing.

"Yet even as I was realizing my dream, it was slowly but surely becoming a nightmare. My abused past had left certain…personality…changes in me. I had become a selfish, attention-seeking diva whom demanded the spotlight. I saw my fellow dancers as either underlings whom were mine to dominate, or obstacles in my path to greatness. I bullied those I saw as inferior and sabotaged my rivals.

"Eventually it got to the point where I was thrown out of the ballet company and blackballed from other companies. I was banned from performing on stage; I couldn't even get a job dancing for little girl's birthday parties.

"With nowhere else to go, I trudged back to _Rin Ju Den, _where lo and behold, I found the hall burned to the ground and dozens of my fellow _Rin Ju Akugata _users slaughtered by you _Gekirangers_! Not even Rio and his slut of a sidekick, Mele, had survived, and it's all your fault, Geki Yellow! You, Geki Red, Geki Blue, Geki Violet and Geki Chopper!"

"We had other help," said Ran, "I won't deny that my friends and I had to fight _Rin Ju Akugata_, we had to in order to protect the world! And as for Rio and Mele…"

"To hell with them!" said Devapioret, "I never needed them, nor any of my comrades. In fact," she then smiled viciously, "I owe you _Gekirangers _for destroying them. Now that they're out of the way, I'm in position to raise up _Rin Ju Den _once again, but this time in my own image."

"And what image would that be?" Lyra asked as she and Pan emerged from behind the crystal outcropping.

"Well if it isn't one of the Princesses of Heart," said Dio Brando as he grinned wickedly at Lyra, "I hear Karlaz is anxious to meet you and the others."

"We know what Karlaz wants with the Princesses of Heart!" said Selphie as she, Yuffie and Luka emerged from hiding, "you can tell that alien psycho bitch that she'll never get Alice or anyone else!"

"I know she's crazy," said Dio Brando, "she's crazier than I am and that's saying something."

"If we could get back to the more important topic, me," said Devapioret.

"Oh sure," said Yuffie sarcastically, "we wouldn't want to deprive our attentions of your fascinating story."

"The fate of the entire universe hangs on you finishing your story," said Luka.

"Don't I know it," said Devapioret in a serious tone.

"You really think you're that important," said Ran in an offended tone, "you're a bigger megalomaniac than Rio was, and he turned out to be a good person in the end, so did Mele."

"And what did it get them? A one way ticket to the afterlife," said Devapioret in a vindictive tone.

"At least their spirits merged with existence itself," said Lyra.

"Uh, no, not really," said Ran, "their spirits sometimes come back to help."

"Really?" Lyra asked in an astonished tone.

"You don't think…?" Pan asked in a hopeful tone.

"That some of our friends who passed on could come back?" Lyra asked, "I hope so too."

"Uh…hello? Me?" Devapioret asked in an impatient tone.

"Oh just keep talking," said Luka, "you're obviously in love with your own voice, so just indulge yourself already."

"Thank you," said Devapioret, "where was I?"

"On how your comrades being wiped out turned out to be a good thing," said Dio Brando in a bored tone as he leaned against a large crystal and pulled out his deck of Triple Triad cards.

"Yes, exactly!" said Devapioret, "I was now in position to rebuild _Rin Ju Akugata _in my own image. Not only would the new _Rin Ju Den _be a learning place for martial arts, but also for ballet!"

"That's it?" Ran asked in a slightly confused manner.

"Yes, that's it," said Devapioret.

"Well, that's kind of nice," said Luka.

"Yeah, it is kind of nice," said Yuffie, "if you're into both dancing _and _fighting."

"I think it's a great thing," said Ran as she smiled warmly, "teaching the virtues of martial arts and dancing, you…"

"I never mentioned virtue," said Devapioret, "the new _Rin Ju Akugata _would still spread sorrow and despair, while practicing the principal that only the strong survive."

"That's not so nice," said an irate Luka as she pulled out her Mobilite and yellow Ranger Key.

"Damn right it's not nice!" said Selphie as she readied her nunchakus, while Yuffie readied her shuriken and Lyra drew her sword, "it's down right rotten!"

"The worse it yet to come," said Devapioret, "for in order to truly resurrect _Rin Ju Akugata_ in my own image, I have to prove myself. And to prove myself, I have to destroy the _Gekirangers_," she then glared at Ran, "and I'll start by killing you, Uzaki Ran!"

"You'll find that I'm harder to kill than you think!" said Ran as she assumed a fighting stance.

"Oh, I know how difficult you _Gekiragners _can be," said Devapioret, "which is why I came prepared!" she then looked at Dio Brando, "and you're going to assist me."

"I'd rather not," said Dio Brando as he sat down and began laying out his Triple Triad cards, "in fact, I'll sit this one fight out, if you don't mind!"

"I do mind!" snapped Devapioret, "Lady Karlaz said you were to assist me!"

"She ain't my boss," said Dio Brando idly as he laid out more cards, "and before you ask, I only work with the likes of Xehanort and Maleficent because it pleases me to."

"So you're just going to sit there and play with your cards?" Selphie asked.

"I might as well play against myself since I've got no one else to play with," said Dio Brando.

"You're wrong," said Selphie as she pulled out her own Triple Triad deck.

"Oh, a fellow player," said Dio Brando as he smiled eagerly, "this might not turn out to be so boring after all. Let's play."

"No!" shouted Devapioret as she pulled out several brown and black pellets, "there will be no childish games!" she then threw the pellets to the ground, which expanded into _Rinsis_, which hopped over to and surrounded Ran, Luka, Selphie, Yuffie, Lyra and Pan.

"Oh, not these things again!" shouted Ran as the undead hopping mooks closed in, which were soon joined by the Gormin and Sugormin.

"I'd fight The Goblers all over again just so I could have a more quieter adventure later," said Lyra.

"I'd give my weight in gold just to have an adventure were no one was trying to kill us!" said Yuffie.

"And I was actually looking forward to play Triple Triad," said Selphie.

"We still can," said Dio Brando.

"No!" shouted Devapioret, "no card games!" with that she gracefully leapt into the air and aimed a kick at Dio Brando's head.

"THE WORLD!" shouted Dio Brando. The color in the area became like that of a photo negative and everything froze, with Devapioret freezing in mid kick.

"Time has been stopped," said Dio Brando as he casually stepped aside, then walked over to mook-surrounded girls. He shoved several Gormin and Rinsis aside, grabbed Selphie and carried her several paces to a large bolder-like crystal. He set her atop it and stood next to her as time resumed.

The shoved mooks fell to the ground, while Devapioret crashed to the ground in an undignified manner.

"What? What happened?" Yuffie asked as she looked around, "where's Selphie."

"She's safe, for now," said Dio Brando from atop the crystal bolder, while Selphie looked around in confusion, "we're going to have a little tournament here; best of thirteen. If she can defeat me seven times or more, I'll let her go."

"If if I lose more than seven?" Selphie asked in a cautious and nervous tone, "you'll kill me?"

"Think of it as an extreme tournament," said Dio Brando.

"And you'd rather do that than fight?" Luka asked.

"I'm in the mood for something different," said Dio Brando. He then looked at Selphie, "so, ready to play?" he then pulled out a knife and licked the edge, "or we can fight and I'll kill you anyway."

"Seems like I've no choice if I want to live," said Selphie. She then sat down and began shuffling her deck, "best of thirteen?" she then smiled confidently, "I've got this won already."

"We'll see," said Dio Brando as he sat down and began shuffling his deck.

"You bastard!" shouted Devapioret as she stood up and dusted herself off, "who the hell do you think you are!?"

"A guy whom doesn't like to be bossed around by stupid little divas whom can't dance," said Dio Brando.

At that Devapioret looked like she was about to throw a tantrum. Glaring hatefully at Dio Brando, she shouted, "well, screw you! I don't need you!" she then glared at Ran, "but I do need you! I need you to die!" she then raised her left hand, which was engulfed in a dark blue aura, "_Ringi_: _Jūjin Jashin Hen!"_

The dark blue aura expanded over Devapioret's body and in a flash, she had assumed a monstrous form; lean and graceful, covered in a black bodysuit with a feathered pattern, while feather-like blades adorned her wrists and ankles and small black wings were on her back. Her head had elongated out and formed a beak, giving her the overall appearance of a black swan.

"I am Devapioret!" she shouted as she performed a kata similar to swan movements, "user of _Rinju Shiratoriken_!" she then assumed a fighting stance and waved her right hand in a beckoning manner, "come, Uzaki Ran! Come to your death!"

"You want me? You got me!" said Ran defiantly. She then raised her hands out, her thumbs and forefingers forming L shapes, "_Tagire! Kemono no chikara!_ **Beast ON**!" she then brought her hands together in a knuckle cracking manner with her left fingers pressing the knuckles of her right wrist guard, the knuckle cover depressing like a button.

Ran then brought her hands around in a qi-charging manner, then crossed her wrists in front of her chest before reaching back with her right hand and punching forward, "**HA**!"

Yellow and black energy lines surrounded Ran, circling up over her and leaving a yellow and black spandex-like martial arts outfit spotted like a cheetah, while a cheetah-like helmet unfolded and encased her head.

She then performed a kata with Cheetah-like movements, "Diligence day by day! Refining and polishing my heart! Honest Heart! _Geki Yellow_!"

"Gokai Change!" shouted Luka as she inserted her Ranger Key into her Mobalite and turned it, transforming her with three X's and a V.

** GOKAIGER!**

"Gokai Yellow!"

"Oh, two transformations," said Dio Brando. He then looked at Devapioret, "looks like you're being upstaged!"

"I'm the only one deserving the spotlight!" said Devapoiret. "Destroy them!" with that the _Rinsis_, Gormin and Sugormin attacked, while Devapioret rushed straight for Geki Yellow. The two martial artists met in a fury of kicks, punches and blocks.

"I still want an adventure where no one is trying to kill us!" said Yuffie as she kicked a gormin in the head, then threw a shuriken ant a Rinsi, while Lyra stabbed a Rinsi and Pan scratched the eye circuits of a Gormin.

"Look on the bright side," said Lyra, "we're getting a good workout!"

"If I could market this as a workout for everyone, I'd be a multi-billionaire!" said Gokai Yellow as she dodged several Gormin, stabbed one and shot another, then used her string attachment on her saber to take out several _Rinsis_.

Meanwhile, the fight between Geki Yellow and Devapioret had reached a standstill. Both female fighters were evenly matched in striking power and defensive stamina, but while Geki Yellow had the edge in speed, Devapioret was much more agile and was able to either block and evade her opponet's attacks with graceful movements.

"I honestly don't know who to cheer for," said Dio Brando as he watched the two female martial artists, "both are hot in my book."

"You're a real sick person," said Selphie as she gave her cards a final shuffle, "you know that, right?"

"I've been called worse," said Dio Brando, "so, ready to play?"

"Absolutely," said Selphie. They began laying their cards down on a 3X3 grid, some of the cards being flipped as they were 'captured.' Within seconds, Dio Brando had won the game.

"I suppose you want one of my cards," said Selphie as she grudgingly held out her deck.

"Actually," said Dio Brando as he grinned maliciously, "I'll take something else as tribute."

All of a sudden, Selphie cried out in pain and looked at her left arm, where a three inch cut had appeared below her elbow. "What the hell!" she exclaimed at her opponent.

At that Dio Brando laughed viciously, "oh, I forgot the little twist I added to the tournament. For ever game you lose, you get cut, and the more you lose, the more you get cut."

"And if I lose seven times," said Selphie in a mute tone, "I die."

"That's pretty much it," said Dio Brando.

"Again, you're one sick bastard," said Selphie. She then grinned with determination, "which means I'll just have to try harder!" with that they began the second game and within seconds, Selphie won.

Blood spurted from Dio Brando's left arm yet he ignored it, "pain can be your friend if you accept it," he said as he licked at his bleeding cut, which was already beginning to heal.

"I hope that when you lose for the seventh time, it hurts more than you can bare," said Selphie as the third game began. But this one she lost and she suffered a four inch cut on her left thigh just above the knee.

"I'd put something on those before they get infected," said Dio Brando, "but you won't live that long."

"I'm just getting warmed up," said Selphie. The fourth game began but Selphie lost that one as well. This time she suffered two cuts, one on her left bicep and the other on her right calf.

"That's three to one in favor of me," said Dio Brando, "why don't we end it now and I'll save you a lot of prolonged agony?"

"In your dreams, sicko!" said Selphie as she gritted her teeth against the pain, "I haven't even begun to play!"

Meanwhile, the fight between Geki Yellow and Devapoiret was still deadlocked as the two exchanged blows and blocks.

"Give it up, cat girl!" exclaimed Devapioret as the two of them broke apart, "you can't beat me!"

"That's what the rest of _Rin Ju Akugata _said!" said Geki Yellow as she took out a pair of tonfa's and connected them together to form a staff.

"Cheetah Bitch!" shouted Devapioret as she rushed in to attack, which Geki Yellow met by using her staff to block the black swan fighter's kicks and punches, then struck back with a jab to Devapioret's midsection, the staff crackling with electricity that increased the spark damage inflicted.

Devapioret then leapt back a few paces, held up several black metal feathers and threw them at Geki Yellow like they were knives. Geki Yellow blocked the knives with her staff, then put the staff away as she pressed the knuckle button on her wrist guards, then performed a qi charging maneuver, "_Geki Waza! Shun Shun Dan!_" she then thrust her hands forward, projecting her _Geki _in the form of a cheetah that rushed at and struck Devapioret multiple times, inflicting massive amounts of spark damage.

Geki Yellow then rushed in and delivered several follow-up kicks and punches that Devapioret was sluggish to block. But then Devapioret shouted with fury and rapidly grazed her fingertips across Geki Yellow's left arm, inflicting an enormous amount of spark damage.

"You like that?" Devapioret asked as she stepped back from the slightly disoriented Geki Yellow and assumed a fighting stance with one hand raised above the other, with her fingers bent down as if they were knives ready to cut.

"What…what was that?" Geki Yellow asked as she held her wounded arm, "that wasn't _Rin Ju Akugata_."

"That's right, it wasn't!" said Devapioret with malicious glee, "it's a secret I was saving for after I reformed _Rin Ju Dan_, but since I'm going to use it to kill you, you might as well know. It's _Nanto Suichōken_!"

"_Nanto Suichōken?_" Geki Yellow asked, "'South Star Waterfowl Fist?' That uses qi to cut your opponent apart!"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Devapioret. With that she rushed in for another attack. Geki Yellow managed to block the first two strikes but with the third move, Devapioret brushed her fingertips across Geki Yellow's right shoulder, producing another shower of damage sparks and forcing Geki Yellow back, only for Devapioret to brush all oher fingertips across Geki Yellow's chest, delivering a double spark damage attack that nearly knocked her down.

"I don't think we're doing so well!" Lyra said after beheading a Gormin.

"Why? We seem to be winning," said Yuffie, whom had a Gormin in a headlock and was repeatedly bashing it.

"But the others aren't!" said Lyra as she pointed at Selphie, whom had just lost her fourth game and was now cut across both arms, legs and received a deep gash below her left eye, while Dio Brando was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. Lyra then pointed at Geki Yellow, whom had just received another fingertip brushing attack across the chest that knocked her down, her spandex-like armor the only thing keeping her from being sliced to pieces.

"We've got to help them!" said Yuffie as she released her hapless mook victim, only to find more Gormin, Sugormin and Rinsis closing in on her, Gokai Yellow, Lyra and Pan.

"Not to sound selfish," said Gokai Yellow, "but we've got our own problems to deal with first!"

* * *

"So, why do they call you The Immoral Fang?" Goofy asked in a slightly nervous tone as he, Donald, The King, Akashi and Captain Marvelous made their way through the crystal wastes, moving through an area where the crystals grew higher, forming walls that blocked their vision from the sides.

"That's 'Immortal,' ya big palooka!" said an annoyed Donald. He then looked at Akashi, "so, why do they call you that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Akashi asked, "I'm immortal. Okay, seriously, it's because I survived countless dangers, most of which without a scratch."

"And how many of those were situations where you sacrificed yourself for the sake of your teammates?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"About as often as you sacrificed yourself for your crew," said Akashi, "which considering how often men like us run into trouble, it's saying something."

"If your line of work is so dangerous," said King Mickey, "why do it? I mean, I know the reason why, but I want to know…"

"How I got into the business of keeping the world safe?" Akashi asked, "it's a long story. Needless to say, I made an irreversible mistake and two people very close to me paid the ultimate price. Afterwards I joined up with Search Guard Successor and traveled the world to recover Precious'."

"Just how dangerous is a Precious?" King Mickey asked.

"Some are mostly harmless," said Akashi, "just like people in general. On the other hand, there are some Precious that, again, just like people, can end the world if they fall into the wrong hands."

"I know some wrong hands," said Goofy, "ol' Maleficent would love to get her hands on some Preciousnesses."

"Just don't get your hands on them first," Donald muttered.

"Yeah, well," said Akashi, "if there's one thing I learned while with the SGS, it's that you can't do things alone, especially if it's keeping the world safe."

"A team leader is only as strong as his team," said Captain Marvelous.

"Or a pirate captain is only as strong as his crew," said Akashi.

"And a king is only as strong as his kingdom," said King Mickey in a slightly depressed tone, "but what if the king isn't up to the task?"

"What are you taking about, your majesty?" Donald asked.

"I messed up, big time," said King Mickey, "this whole fiasco is my fault."

"Aw, it ain't your fault," said Goofy, "it's them Zangey jerks who're to blame, them and ol' Maleficent and Xehanort."

"They attacked us!" said Donald, "all we did was have the big meeting."

"And because I called The Grand Conclave, so many of our friends are seriously hurt," said King Mickey, "while Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle and Jasmine could die. And I sent Sora and the others away!"

"Hey, how much longer are you going to chastise yourself like this?" Captain Marvelous asked abruptly.

"Huh…what? Chastise?" King Mickey asked. "I'm not chastising myself."

"What's chestise?" Goofy asked.

"Chastise!" exclaimed Donald, "it means…it means…what does it mean?"

"It's another word for punishment," said Akashi. He then looked at King Mickey, "you're punishing yourself for things that aren't really your fault. And before you start whipping yourself on the inside again, you should know that bad things happen and you can't do anything about them once they're done. So don't worry about it."

"Hakuna Matata!" said Donald.

"Hey, that's right!" said Goofy, "Hakuna Matata."

"Huh? What's that?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"Long story," said King Mickey. He then looked at Donald and Goofy, "you guys are right. I shouldn't let this drag me down. We've been in sticky situations before, and we always got out of them," he then looked at Akashi, "sometimes without a scratch ourselves."

Akashi was about to say something, when, just as the group reached a break in the crystal walls, Donald, whom was at the front of the group, bumped into Akyrot, whom was with Regina and a squad of Gormin and Sugormin.

"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going, small fry!" exclaimed the red reptilian creature as he glared down at Donald.

"Who're you calling small, jerk!" Donald shouted up at Akyrot.

"You, you tiny feathered freak!" said Akyrot.

"You're one to talk about freaks, weirdo!" said Donald.

"My, what an interesting turn of events," said Regina, "here we were, wandering these wretched crystals in hopes of reaching the castle before the others," she then looked at Captain Marvelous, King Mickey and Akashi, ignoring Donald and Goofy, "when lo and behold, we run into you, of all people."

"Fancy meeting you out here too," said Captain Marvelous.

"And who might you be?" Akashi asked Regina.

"She's the Evil Queen!" said Goofy in a slightly nervous tone.

"Ex-Evil Queen!" said Donald.

"A title that will soon be restored to my rightful persona," said Regina.

"Just what are Maleficent and Xehanort up to?" King Mickey demanded.

At that Regina looked as if she was ready to punch a hole in the crystal walls, "oh, yes, it's all about Maleficent and Xehanort, isn't it!?" she asked irately, "and that lunatic Karlaz too, no doubt."

"You dare speak of Lady Karlaz in that manner!" exclaimed Akyrot.

"I dare because I can!" said Regina, "I owe no allegiance to her, and between myself and you lot," she indicated Akyrot, King Mickey, Captain Marvelous, Akashi, Donald and Goofy, "I'd rather not be associated with either Maleficent or Xehanort."

"Well, okay," said King Mickey in an unsure tone, "but what are you doing out here?"

"She's with that guy," said Akashi as he pointed at Akyrot, "and speaking of which, why is a member of the _Jaryuu _Clan working with Zangyack?"

"You want to know why I serve Lady Karlaz, Bouken Red?" Akyrot demanded, "I'll tell you, it's your fault! You and your meddling _Boukengers_!"

"Well, of course it's their fault," said Captain Marvelous, "they pretty much wiped out your entire species."

"Thanks for painting me in a good light, Marvelous," said Akashi. He then looked at Akyrot, "let me guess, you're either the last or among the last of _Jaryuu_."

"I _am _the last of my clan," said Akyrot, "no thanks to you, Bouken Red! You fought and destroyed Chief _Ryuuwon_, creator of the _Jaryuu _Clan! I was the last one he created before he was destroyed, placed in suspended animation as an insurance policy."

"I figured he had one last trick up his scaly sleeve," said Akashi, "so, you woke up from your cold sleep and vowed revenge."

"Yes," said Akyrot, "but I knew my revenge would have to wait. It would have been suicide for me to go after you Boukengers all by myself, I'd be a poor insurance policy for Chief _Ryuuwon _if I did. So I went underground, seriously, I went into a subterranean lair where Chief _Ryuuwon _left copies of his research on dragons, Lemurian genetic engineering and most importantly, the secret of his _Jayruu _Soul Transfer, which would make whomever mastered it immortal! And with that immortality, I would have used my own DNA to raise another generation of _Jaryuu _Dragonoid Soldiers and conquered the world!"

"But you didn't," said Akashi, "otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"My creator was in a rush when he made me," said Akyrot in an outraged tone, "a flaw was overlooked in my genetic structure that put a snag in all of Chief Ryuuwon's plans; I can't read!" he then tapped his eyes, "dyslexia. Imagine that, a monster with dyslexia! Pathetic, right?"

"Not really," said Akashi.

"Pitiful," said Captain Marvelous, "but not pathetic."

"I kinda fell sorry for you," said King Mickey, while Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement, "everyone should know how to read."

"Oh please!" said an irate Regina, "what purpose would a monster need of reading? If I were to create my own race of monsters, they would have no need of literature."

"Well, I can't learn the secrets of my creator if I can't read what he wrote, now can I?!" Akyrot exclaimed, "anyway, I was found by advanced spies from Zangyack and recruited into the empire. I had hoped that as an Action Commander, I'd eventually earn enough to pay for a cure for my dyslexia, Zangyack hospitals are outrageously expensive but they're worth it.

"I eventually found myself under the employment of Lady Karlaz and after destroying other Action Commanders to earn her blessing, as well as the sponsorship of Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, I was promised the treatment, free of charge, if I would help put Lady Karlaz on the throne."

"And so here we are," said Akashi as he pulled out his cell phone, his Accellular, while Captain Marvelous pulled out his Mobalite and red Ranger Key.

"Yes, here we are," said Akyrot, "here we are," he then looked at Regina, "aren't we?"

"No," said Regina stubbornly.

"I…what?!" exclaimed Akyrot as he nearly stumbled with surprise and confusion, while Captain Marvelous, Akashi, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy, also looked confused.

"You heard me," said Regina, "I am not fighting, especially if it means fighting with a mutated abomination of a newt like you!"

"But you have to!" exclaimed Akyrot, "Lady Karlaz said you had to help me!"

"I will not take orders from that disrespectful, delusional, degenerate of a lunatic!" said Regina. She then smiled with wicked satisfaction, "in fact, I will no longer accept orders from Maleficent. I've waited long enough. My move starts now!" she then summoned her briefcase from a subspace pocket.

"What are you doing?" King Mickey asked cautiously.

"Something I should have done the moment the shield first went up," said Regina as she opened her briefcase, reached in and pulled out a small crystal jar, which had inside several crystal clear beans.

"What's that?" Donald asked as Regina took one of the beans out of the jar and returned the jar to her briefcase.

"An emergency escape plan," said Regina as she vanished her briefcase, "this magic bean can open a portal to anywhere I wish." she then tossed the bean into the air. The bean flashed and a green vortex appeared.

"You can't do that!" King Mickey exclaimed, "the shield…"

"This magic is more powerful than any shield devised," said Regina as she walked up to the vortex.

"You can't do that!" shouted Akyrot, "you can't leave me here!"

"Yes I can," said Regina. She then looked at King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Akashi and Captain Marvelous, "if you see Maleficent before I do, tell her that her time is almost up, while mine is just getting started." With that she walked into the vortex and it vanished.

"Well…go on, you human bitch!" spat Akyrot as he pulled out several ash-gray pellets and threw them to the ground, which expanded into Combatant Karths, "I don't need you!" he then looked at the Gormin, Sugormin and Combatant Karths, "don't just stand there like idiots! Kill something!" With that the metal mooks and stone soldiers surrounded Captain Marvelous, Akashi, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

"There are days when I wish I was still a simple treasure hunter," said Akashi as the evil minions closed in.

"Is this one of those days?" King Mickey asked as he summoned his golden Keyblade, while Donald and Goofy readied their weapons.

"No," said Akashi as he smiled confidently, "I'm actually having a good day!" he then held up his Accellular and pressed a button that resembled a sun. A turbine-like disk attachment popped out of the bottom of the phone.

"Boukenger!" said Akashi, "START UP!" he then ran the disk down his arm, causing it to spark and charge with red energy and emitted a sound like an engine revving up.

A red and white suit of spandex-like armor materialized on Akashi's body, complete with gloves, boots and a red and black compass-like icon on his chest, while a red helmet with a black visor with truck-like lights above the visor, materialized over his head.

"The Fiery Adventurer!" he said as he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers, "Bouken Red!"

"Gokai Change!" shouted Captain Marvelous as he inserted his red Ranger Key into his Mobalite and turned it, transforming with three X's and a V.

**GOKAIGER!**

"Gokai Red!" he said as he drew forth his Gokai Saber and Pistol, "let's make a show of it!"

"Attack!" shouted Bouken Red as he snapped his fingers again, drawing a sword-like weapon and rushing at several Combatant Karths, stabbing two of the stone-like creatures and kicking a third, while Captain Marvelous blasted several Gormin and stabbed a Sugormin.

"Ain't this a kick in the head!" said King Mickey as he kicked a Combatant Karth in the head, then slashed his Keyblade at two more.

"I actually miss fighting Heartless!" said Donald as he bashed a Gormin in the foot, then zapped two with a Thunder spell, "they at least drop stuff when you blast them!"

"At least these guys ain't so scary!" said Goofy as he slammed his shield into the head of a Gormin, then tacked two Combatant Karths.

Bouken Red, whom had converted his sword into a blaster, had just finished shooting two Combatant Karths, when he found himself face to face with Akyrot, "you should have stayed in hibernation!" said Bouken Red as he converted his blaster back into its sword mode, "it would have saved us all a lot of trouble."

"You of all people have 'Trouble' for a middle name!" said Akyrot, "have a taste of this!" he then grunted loudly as his spikes shot from his body and zoomed at Bouken Red. He blocked most of the spikes with his sword but two hit him in the shoulder, inflicting spark damage and forcing him to drop his sword.

"How'd you like that?!" Akyrot asked smugly as fresh spikes grew out from his body.

"I didn't like it at all," said Bouken Red, "I'd like to see you do that again, though!"

"Gladly!" said Akyrot. He grunted again and launched his missile-like spikes at Bouken Red again.

This time, Bouken Red was ready as he pulled out a red staff shaped like the leaf spring on a truck, "Bouken Bo!" he shouted, then used his staff to block the missile-like spikes. He then rushed in and delivered several hits to Akyrot, inflicting spark damage and forcing the red reptilian creature back and nearly knocking him over.

"Bastard!" shouted Akyrot as he regained his balance, "you won't defeat me like Cief Ryuuwon! I will avenge my creator and become immortal!"

"Immortality can be a blessing and a curse," said Bouken Red.

"A blessing for me and a curse for you, you mean!" shouted Akyrot, "I was hoping to save this for an emergency," he then pulled out and slipped a metal glove onto his right claws, "but if it'll destroy the leader of the Boukengers, well, I'd consider that a good thing!"

"What is that?" Bouken Red asked he looked at the metal glove, "is it…is it a Precious?" he then held up his Accellular and activated scanning feature, aiming the device at the metal glove.

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Akyrot as he aimed his hand palm out at Bouken Red. The palm of the metal glove had twelve small black crystals in a circle around a larger black crystal. The smaller crystals crackled with dark purple energy, which converged on the larger crystal, which glowed and crackled with the dark purple energy

"Watch out!" King Mickey asked as he shoved aside two Combatant Karths and leapt in front of Bouken Red, just as Akyrot fired a dark purple beam of energy. The King brought his gold Keyblade up in time to intercept the beam, blocking it but in the process being knocked back and slammed into a crystal outcropping. The King let out a grunt of pain on impact and fell to the ground, his gold Keyblade vanishing.

"Your Majesty!" shouted Donald and Goofy as they shoved aside Gormin and Combatant Karths. They rushed to The King and helped him into a sitting position against the crystal outcropping.

"Hey, guys," said King Mickey in a dazed tone, "what happened?"

"You blocked that evil beam thing," said Goofy.

"But why was it so powerful?" Donald asked.

"Hazard Level 912!" said Bouken Red as he scanned the metal glove, "it's a Precious, and a whopper of a Precious!"

"How right you are, Bouken Red!" said Akyrot. He then raised his gloved fist, "behold, The Fist of Yavikallor! One of seven items from a civilization so ancient, its own name has been forgotten!"

"Did you get that from Earth!?" Gokai Red after he blasted a Gormin.

"Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo gave it to me," said Akyrot, "long story short, the price for his sponsorship was that I submit to one of his experiments. He tweaked my DNA a bit so that my genetic code would respond to the weapon, for that is what The Fist of Yavikallor is, a weapon of mass destruction and I'm going to use it to destroy The Boukengers! Starting with Bouken Red and anyone who gets in my way!"

"Well, I hope that thing's as reliable as you hope it is," said Gokai Red, "'cause I'm about to get in your way!" with that he rushed at Akyrot.

"No! Don't!" shouted King Mickey, while Donald and Goofy also shouted for Gokai Red to stop, but he didn't.

"Fool!" shouted Akyrot as he aimed The Fist of Yavikallor at Gokai Red, the small crystals charging with dark purple energy. Gokai Red was less than ten paces from Akyrot when the glove finished charging and fired.

* * *

**…The Castle…**

"I'm bored," said Katarina as she sat in one corner the library, idly tossing a heavy paperweight from hand to hand, while Nessie and Victoire were in the middle of a game of Wizard's Chess, with Pete and Gai watching with avid attention. Also watching the game was Jacob and Teddy, while Pence sat nearby reading a book.

"Didn't you hear me?" Katarina asked as she looked at Nessie and Victoire direct the enchanted chess pieces, "I said I'm bored!" she then threw the paperweight at the chessboard with enough force to shatter nearly every piece on it, while the paperweight crashed through the board, the table and into the floor below, while also grabbing the attention of Victoire, Teddy, Nessie, Jacob, Pence, Pete and Gai.

"Merlin's beard, you're strong!" exclaimed Victoire. She then pulled out her wand and cast _"Repairo!" _on the floor, the table, the chessboard and the pieces.

"And agitated," said Nessie.

"And eager for attention," said Jacob.

"I just said I was bored," said Katarina, "look, why are we hanging out here when there's enemies to crush? Let's just sneak out of the castle and go stomp some Zangyack heads!"

"You have a death wish or something?" Pence asked.

"No, I don't want to die," said Katarina as she smiled confidently and cheerfully, "I've got way too much living to do before I die. Besides, it'll take more than some silly metal minions and a bunch of weirdo aliens to take me out."

"If I've learned anything about Zangyack and every enemy of Super Sentai," said Gai, "it's that you don't underestimate them, no matter how often you fight them. Just when you think you've got them on the ropes, they come back stronger and then you're on the ropes. Then you come back stronger and have them on the ropes again, then they come back stronger and got you on the ropes again. It keeps repeating itself until you finally confront and defeat the leader of the current enemy."

"And how long does that take?" Teddy asked.

"Almost a full year, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a little more," said Gai, "the actual fighting that is. The events leading up to the actual fighting can sometimes go back years, decades, thousands of years even."

"Makes you wonder what made Karlaz pick us to torment," said Pete.

"Probably your old boss egged her on," said Jacob.

"No way Maleficent would work with Karlaz!" said Pete, "she's too classy to work with that lunatic!"

"I'm confused," said Nessie, "which one's crazy and which one's classy?"

"Both and both," said Victoire.

"Well, I still say we go bonk some Zangyack heads," said Katarina, "who knows? We might get to bonk off Karlaz while we're at it and end this whole mess."

"You'd still be in a lot of trouble," said Pence, "with Quistis."

"Oh, that old wet blanket," said Katarina in an annoyed tone. She sat down in a huff, "she really is a buzz kill," she pouted, "we want to help and she's got us waiting here like we've done something wrong."

"We didn't do anything wrong," said Gai, "we just had a bit of bad luck."

"Sometimes luck is all that counts," said Nessie, "you can say all you want about destiny, prophecy, free will and logic, but sometimes it all comes down to luck."

"I just hope ours changes for the better," said Victoire, "for everyone. I'm worried about all the things that have been happening; the initial Heartless crisis that got Sora involve in the first place, Organization XIII, Maleficent's attempt to capture the new Princesses of Heart, Xehanort's return, his alliance with Maleficent and now Zangyack."

"What are you getting at?" Jacob asked.

"That this isn't the worst we could be seeing," said Victoire.

"I don't believe it," said Pence, "it can't get worse than this."

"My people fought some of the most vile and disgusting things in existence," said Katarina, "Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Zygons and don't get me started about the Autons."

"I'm saying that it can get worse," said Victoire, "and unless we figure out something, it will get worse."

"That's why we had this meeting in the first place!" said Nessie in an exasperated tone. "Holy crow, why couldn't we just get along?"

"I've got a feeling that you'll get along just fine once this mess is over," said Gai.

Just then Aerith ran into the library, "Alice is awake!" she exclaimed.

"She is?!" both Nessie and Victoire exclaimed.

"How is she?" Jacob asked.

"Did she say anything?" Teddy asked.

"Hold on! Hold on!" said Aerith, "the healers have her confined to the makeshift infirmary where she is to rest and do nothing else. Quistis, Ansem and others tried to question her but the healers overruled them. No one is to see her."

"Dragon dung!" said Victoire, "I still want to see her."

"Ditto," said Nessie.

"Are you crazy?" Pence asked in exasperated tone, "just how much trouble do you want to get into?"

"If it'll end the boredom, I get in trouble too," said Katarina. She then looked at Pete, "ain't that right, Fluffy?"

"Don't call me that!" snapped Pete, "and, well, yeah, I'll go too."

"Looks like you're overruled," said Jacob to Pence.

"We still have to get to the makeshift infirmary," said Teddy, "and if the healers here are anything like Madam Pomfrey back at Hogwarts, then we'll have a devil's time getting past them."

"Well, we may not have to," said Aerith in a modest, slightly embarrassed tone, "I…know a secret passage to the room where they set the infirmary up."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Katarina asked as she hopped to her feet, "let's go!"

A few minutes later found Nessie, Jacob, Victoire, Teddy, Pence, Pete, Katarina and Gai, following Aerith out of a secret door behind a tapestry in the large room where the infirmary had been set up. One half of the room was filled with civilians wounded in the initial attack, with healers bustling about easing pain and treating wounds.

Off to the other side were several cots separated by partition curtains. One cot had Tarzan, whom was still unconscious. Another cot had Aladdin, his knees heavily bandaged and sedated. Jasmine was beside him, comforting him in his pain, while Aurora comforted the still unconscious Phillip.

Jack Sparrow was in a rum-induced coma, while a healer and two nurses were struggling to put Jack Skellington back together. Cinderella and Snow White were sitting on a cot as two healers examined them, while Belle stood vigilantly beside Beast, whom was in a stasis field as his horrific wounds healed.

The last cot had Alice, whom had fallen asleep and was resting comfortably.

"What are you doing here?" Aurora asked as she saw Gai's group, "the healers forbade anyone from coming in."

"We heard that Alice came out of her thousand yard stare," said Nessie. She and the others saw that the healers were ganging up to throw them out, when Belle, Jasmine and Cinderella stood in front of Gai's group.

"It's alright," said Snow White, "they can stay."

"So long as they promise to behave," said Jasmine.

"We promise," said Katarina. She then looked at Pete, "right, Fluffy?"

"Right," said Pete. He then glared at Katarina and snapped, "and stop calling me that!"

"Yeah, well, about Alice," said Jasmine.

"She came out of her fugue and fell asleep," said Belle.

"She didn't say anything?" Victoire asked as she, Nessie and Jacob walked over to the cot where the sleeping Alice lay.

"Nothing," said Cinderella.

"Well, we'll ask her when she wakes up," said Nessie.

Just then there was a commotion nearby as Ariel was escorted to the partitioned area by a pair of healers, shortly followed by Eric and Melody, with Sebastian on her shoulder.

"This is completely unnecessary!" said Ariel as she was made to sit down on a cot by the healers, "I don't have a headache anymore, so why do I need to be examined?"

"Because you're still not acting like yourself, mom!" said Melody, "that stuff we had to drink fixed the salt balance in both of us, but you're still acting like a jerk!"

"We're just worried that there may be something else wrong withy you," said Eric.

"Just let the healers take a look at you, Ariel," said Sebastian, "humor us."

"No, there's nothing wrong with me!" snapped Ariel. She then shoved away a glass of Gatorade that a healer had brought to her, "no more of that stuff! If I drink any more of that, I'm going to be sick!"

"Okay, now I'm getting concerned," said Nessie.

"Me too," said Victoire, "Ariel, from what we've all heard about you, you've never been this…this…"

"Irritable?" Teddy suggested.

"Ill tempered?" Aerith offered.

"A total bitch?" Katarina offered.

"Don't call my mom a bitch!" Melody shouted.

"Don't use that word!" snapped Ariel, "I don't ever want to hear you use foul language , Melody!"

"But you are acting really bitchy, mom," said Melody, "you have to admit that."

Without warning, Ariel slapped Melody across the face, "don't you dare use that language in front of me again, young lady!"

"Ariel! For God's sake!" exclaimed Eric as he held Melody, whom was holding her hand to where she was slapped, a shocked look in her eyes.

"What is wrong with you, child?!" Sebastian demanded.

"This whole situation is what's wrong with me!" said Ariel. She then glared hatefully at Gai, "and it's his fault, him and those other space pirates! They brought those horrible aliens here! It's their fault!"

"Hey, don't blame Gai and his crewmates!" said Katarina as she put her hands on her hips, "Zangyack was on its way to attack this world long before the pirates showed up."

"It's still their fault!" said Ariel, "it's all the fault of the pirates! Nothing good has ever come from pirates!"

"Oh, now I understand," said Sebastian in a serious tone.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, what gives?" Gai asked.

"What do you know, Sebastian?" Melody asked.

"Your mother has issues with pirates," said Sebastian, "I can't believe I forgot, it's been so long," he then looked at Ariel, "and I'm surprised it took this long for it to come back to you."

"What do you mean, Sebastian?" Aerial asked as she began to calm down, "what did you forget? What did I forget?"

"It's not actually that surprising that you forgot," said Sebastian, "you were only six when it happened." He then looked back at Melody, "you never heard about your grandmother, Athena, did you?"

"Grandmother?" Melody asked, "no. Grandfather Triton never told me, and neither did any of my aunts or cousins."

"Wait, no!" said Ariel in an angry and frightened tone, "Sebastian, don't tell her!"

"This is one secret that you can't keep from your daughter, Ariel," said Sebastian, "and neither should you hide it from yourself."

"What?" Melody asked, "what secret?"

"Just tell us, Ariel," said Eric.

"Yeah, spill the beans already," said Nessie.

At that Ariel looked like she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Finally, just as her eyes began to spill tears, she shouted, "Pirates killed my mother!" with that she collapsed into Eric's arms and began sobbing her heart out onto his shoulder.

"What?" Melody asked in an astonished tone.

"It was a dark day for Atlantica and all merfolk," said Sebastian, "your grandmother, Queen Athena, she was one of the most beautiful and loved mermaids in all the oceans, and no one loved her more than Triton and their daughters. Athena was kind, compassionate, wise and had an incredible voice, which is where Ariel most likely got _her _voice from.

"Those were happy times for everyone, especially the Sea King. He was more open about going up to the surface and more tolerant towards humans than he was in later years. One day, the royal family and friends were having an outing in an island lagoon and just when things couldn't get even better, a pirate ship attacked.

"To this day we don't know exactly why they attacked; they wanted treasure but they might also have wanted to capture one of the mer-people. The Sea King ordered everyone to swim for it, but Athena hesitated and…and…" he just couldn't finish.

"They killed her," said Ariel in a miserable tone, "one minute she was there, the next she was gone, and she never came back," she then glared at Gai with tear-stained eyes, "your kind murdered my mother!"

"I…I don't know what to say," said Gai, "I…I'm sorry, but…"

"But nothing!" said Victoire irately, "you didn't do anything, and neither did your crew!" she then looked at Ariel with fire in her eyes, "I'm only going to say this once, so you had better take it to heart" she then pulled out her wand, "afterwards I'm going to break some serious magic rules and _force_ you to take it to heart. So, are you listening?"

"I…uh…yes," said Ariel in an unsure and nervous tone.

"Good," said Victoire, "now hear me and hear me well; The Gokaigers didn't kill your mother. It was, what, over twenty years ago, so some of them weren't even alive, let alone on your world, so hating Gai and his crew seems pretty illogical, right?" she then looked at the still catatonic Jack Sparrow, "and hating Captain Jack would also seem silly."

"I agree," said Katarina, "just because one band of pirates did something terrible, doesn't mean they're not all bad, in fact," she then looked at Gai, "for a pirate, you're downright cute. Are you single?"

"Uh…yes," said Gai.

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Katarina, whom then latched onto his arm lovingly, "we can start dating as soon as the fighting is over."

"I…well," said Victoire in an unsure tone, while everyone else looked at Gai and Katarina with confused eyes. Victoire quickly regained her composure, "yes, well," she then looked at Ariel, "what happened to your mother was monstrous and unforgivable and you have every right to be angry, but not at the people whom, out of the kindness of their hearts, are selflessly helping all of us in this time of need. Focusing your anger on our friends won't help anyone, not you, not your family, and certainly not your mother."

"If anything, Ariel," said Sebastian, "your mother wouldn't want you to be so upset."

"And neither do we," said Melody, while Eric nodded in agreement.

Ariel looked at her family and friends with eyes filled with love and regret. She was about to say something, when everyone was blinded by a sudden flash of red light.

When the light faded, Gai found himself unable to move at all, frozen in place yet still conscious. His eyes could still move and as he looked around, he saw that everyone else in his vision was also frozen in place.

Then Gai heard an all to familiar voice. "That worked a little too well," said Bosco as he walked into the infirmary via the secret passage, followed by several Tohgormin, "the paralyzing device that Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo made put everyone in stasis," he then entered Gai's vision, holding a device the size and shape of a cell phone that had apparently shorted out, "but it's no good to anyone now." He then tossed the device over his shoulder.

"Still," he said as he looked around at the frozen people, "it did its job. It's a shame I can't take advantage of the situation, so many, helpless enemies just begging to be done in," he then sighed, "but, orders are orders, and I've found that it's best not to defy an order from Karlaz," he then looked at the Tohgormin, "grab Alice so we can get out of here before the paralysis wears off."

"Don't…you…touch her!" Gai managed to say stiffly.

"Oh, what a surprise!" said Bosco in a delighted tone as he focused his attention on Gai, "Marvy-chan's pet earthling, how nice to see you in such a compromising situation." By now the Tohgormin had picked up the still unconscious Alice and were carrying her back to the secret passage.

"Don't worry about Alice," said Bosco, "Karlaz wants her unharmed for the moment. As for you," he then walked up to Gai and punched him in the stomach, knocking Gai down, "a little something for you to give to Marvy-chan the next time you see him." With that he entered the secret passage.

A few minutes later the paralysis wore off and everyone could move again, while at the same time, Queen Minnie, Ansem and Quistis walked in.

"What was that?" Nessie asked in a slightly disoriented tone, "my head feels floaty."

"Mine too!" said Teddy, while Jacob and everyone else felt disoriented.

"The entire infirmary was hit by a paralysis ray," said Ansem as he scanned the area with his PDA.

"Goodness!" said Queen Minnie.

"Who could have done it?" Quistis asked, "and how did they get inside the castle and out without being detected?"

"It was Bosco!" said Gai as he struggled to his feet, clutching his assaulted stomach, "he and those Tohgormin used the secret passages!"

"It's probably how the Tohgormin got in here in the first place," said Quistis.

"We really ought to plug those things up," said Pence.

"Oh no! Where's Alice!?" Cinderella exclaimed.

"Bosco took her!" said Gai.

"Well, that sucks," said Jacob.

* * *

…**Maleficent's Cavern…**

"Alone at last," said Regina as she strode through the cave system where Maleficent had set up shop after her defeat on The World That Never Was, moving towards the pedestal where the copy of Hecate's book lay upon.

"Correction," said Regina as she looked at the book with coveting eyes, "_we_ are finally alone together. At long last, the key to Maleficent's downfall is within my grasp. I just need to break through the defenses Maleficent set up and the book is mine." With that, she began dispelling the protective enchantments around the insidious book.

**The end of chapter 6.**

_Next chapter picks up right where we left off for everyone. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	8. Chapter 7: Turning of the Tide

_Last time found our heroes, split unto separate strike teams, attempting to infiltrate Karlaz's camp and steal back the powers of the Princesses, only for the strike teams to encounter and clash with Zangyack teams, each lead by a different villain and monster from a previous Super Sentai enemy. At the same time, a backup team over at the castle, lead by Gai, was ambushed by a surprise attack of Tohgormin commandos, lead by Bosco. The flamboyant privateer then abducted the helpless Alice, leaving our heroes at the castle to pull themselves together and strike back. Meanwhile, Regina decided that she had had enough. Utilizing a magic bean, she ported off of Radiant Garden and set her sights on Maleficent's copy of Hecate's book. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 7: Turning of the Tide**

"Remind me why we're down in this foulness?" Nikolai asked as he, Katarina, Quistis, Ansem, Gai, Nessie, Jacob, Victoire, Teddy, Pence, Katarina, Nikolai and Pete stood in one of the underground tunnels beneath the castle.

"It's filthy down here!" said Katarina in an uncomfortable tone.

"Well, you have my most humble of apologies," said an irate Quistis, "but this is where that asshole Bosco and those Zangyack commandos infiltrated the castle, used the castle secret passages an abducted Alice, no less than ten minutes ago, so forgive me if we didn't clean up the sewers!"

"And that's how they got in the first time to take Snow White and the others," said Pence as he pointed to a nearby opening in the tunnel wall that had been recently dug, creating a passage leading out to the crystal wastes. "We really ought to plug this up."

"They won't have to come in that way since they have what they wanted," said Teddy.

"By now they've taken Alice's power and have done who knows what else to her," said Victoire.

"No, Bosco said that Karlaz wanted Alice unharmed for the time being," said Gai, "they've got something else planned, but what?"

"Well, standing around like idiots won't save Alice," said Nikolai as he cleaned his glasses.

"Thanks for volunteering," said Pence.

"I'm not going with you," said Nikolai, "I wasn't assigned to Team Silver," he looked at Quisits, "you have my appreciation for assigning me to help Sage Ansem with the shield modifications."

"You're welcome," said Quistis, "and you're reassigned to Team Silver."

"What!?" exclaimed Nikolai.

"You heard her," said Katarina, "you're on the team with Fluffy and me."

"Don't call me Fluffy!" said Pete irately.

"And we could also use Teddy and Jacob," said Katarina, "the more the merrier."

"Thought you'd never ask," said Jacob as he cracked his knuckles, while Teddy checked to see that his wand was secure in a forearm holster.

"If we leave now, we can catch up with Bosco," said Victoire.

"And break his flamboyant neck," said Nessie, "or strangle him," she then mimed throttling someone, "so long as we don't spill any blood. I don't know what species Bosco is, but the less I have to do with human blood, the better."

"Let's just focus on saving Alice," said Jacob, "I want to kill the jackass too, but saving Alice from having her powers stolen should be our top priority."

"I know," said Nessie, "it's just that this Bosco, he pisses me off something fierce."

"Me too," said Katarina, "I can't decide if I want to shove him feet first into a meat grinder or have him cursed into a jelly."

"I know a few interesting curses," said Victoire as she secured her wand to a forearm holster, "nothing too serious, but interesting. I'm actually in the mood to experiment with a few of them."

"Well, if you're interested in dark magic, Nikolai's the guy for you," said Katarina.

"I said I wasn't going!" Nikolai shouted, "Sage Ansem needs me," he then looked at Ansem, "isn't that right, Ansem the Wise?"

"We've done all we can with the shield generators," said Ansem, "the modifications we've devised would, once implemented, extend the generator life by another two hours, three at the most. There's nothing more we can do with it."

"A lot can be done with an additional three hours," said Quisits, "it may just mean the difference between victory and defeat."

"I can still modify the generator further if givent he chance!" said Nikolai, "please, Commander Trepe, Sage Ansem, I have no desire whatsoever to be on this mission."

"Why?" Nessie asked.

"Is it about the cherry cobbler?" Pete asked.

At that Katarina grabbed Pete by the ear and twisted it sharply, earning an agonized cry of pain from the oversized cat. "Fluffy," said Katarina in an outraged yet controlled tone, "if you ever bring up the time Nikolai dumped an entire bowl of cherry cobbler on me again, I'll show you just how many ways you can skin a cat!" she then pulled Pete down so they were eye to eye, "Got it!?"

"I got it! I got it!" moaned Pete, "just let me go!"

"We're wasting time here!" said Victoire, "if he doesn't want to go with us, then let him stay."

"It's not you lot that I have issues with," said Nikolai. He then glared irately at Katarina, "it's her I have issues with."

"I know you two hate each other," said Ansem, "but surely your feud was a product of your Hakonian upbringing, which I assume had been cast aside when you became the new Zumakali."

"This is personal, Sage Ansem," said Nikolai as he stubbornly crossed his arms, "and rather embarrassing. You will, I'm sure, understand my reluctance to go into more detail."

"It's not that embarrassing," said Katarina, "he's pissed that I tried and almost succeeded in killing him. We've been trying to assassinate each other since we were kids, but one of my plans nearly got him."

"Really?" a slightly shocked Victoire asked, "what did you do to him?"

"I fed him to a bunch of Androgum," said Katarina, "really beastly aliens whom like to eat other species, humanoids if they can but any alien race they can get their grubby hands on."

"It took me my best spells to get out of that sticky situation," said Nikolai as he glared hatefully at Katarina.

"This is all nice and grand, but there's a Princess of Heart in mortal danger," said Nessie irately, "you two can reminisce about past assassination attempts after we save Alice."

"We're going with or without you, Nikolai," said Teddy, "it's your choice. But we would have a better chance of succeeding if you did come."

"In that case," said Nikolai, "I will come," he then looked at Katarina, "someone has to make sure that this dingbat doesn't screw things up."

"For that I'll have to humiliate you again!" said Katarina boldly.

"And how are you going to do that?" Nikolai asked daringly.

"By saving Alice, of course," said Katarina, "I'll bet that I can reach her before you. If I do, you have to one thing that I say, no matter what it is, no matter how embarrassing, and I want it recorded and uploaded online for everyone to see back home and throughout the Realms of Light."

"I'll take that wager," said Nikolai, "and if I reach Alice first, you must do whatever I say, and believe me, I already have ideas on how to reduce you into a quivering mass of humiliated jelly!"

"We'll see who shimmies and shakes like Jell-O!" said Katarina as she and Nikolai shook on the bet.

"Are you two done bantering?" Teddy asked, "the trail is only getting colder."

"Yes, we are done," said Nikolai.

"Then let's go save Alice!" said Gai. With that Nessie and Jacob, Victoire and Teddy, Nikolai and Katarina, Pete and Pence, all shouted "Yeah!" and they ran into the side tunnel.

"Either they'll save Alice or fail miserably," said Quistis as she and Ansem headed back through the tunnels towards the castle proper, "I hope it's the former, old bear."

"We can only hope for the best," said Ansem, "we've done all we can, it's in the hands of our friends now."

"I know, and I hate not being able to do anything more," said Quistis.

"Then again," said Ansem, "there may be one more thing that can be done on our behalf. It's risky and it could go horribly wrong and make things worse."

"Since when has that ever stopped anyone fighting for the sake of truth and justice?" Quistis asked.

* * *

…**Maleficent's Cavern…**

"Oh, you're good, Maleficent," said Regina as she used her magic to break through the defensive enchantments surrounding the copy of Hecate's book, "very good. If I hadn't noticed that little spell, I would have been turned into a frog." She then smirked as another enchantment came undone, "and that one would have summoned a demon to rip me apart. Clever, but not clever enough. Come now, Maleficent, this is all child's play. Where is the dark magic that has made you the mistress of all evil?"

Just then there came a green flash around the pedestal on which the book lay upon. "Now that's more like it," said Regina, "a death curse, and two more underneath that one." There came two more green flashes, followed by a red flash and three blue flashes, "followed by a torture curse and three molecular disruption curses that would have had me come apart at the seems." She then smiled, "and that should be it."

Cautiously, ready to leap back at the slightest hint of any protective magic that she may have missed, Regina reached for the book, "at last," she said, "all the secrets of dark magic in one tome, and it's mine! It's finally mine!" she then took the book and lifted it off of the plinth.

But then the book began to get hot in her hands and smoke rose from the binding.

"What the hell!?" Regina shouted. The book then burst into flames, "No! No! No! No! NO!" Desperately, Regina tried to beat the flames out, ignoring the burns forming on her hands. But her efforts were in vain, for the book had been reduced to ashes.

"Maleficent, you bitch!" snapped Regina, "booby trapping the book! Now you've destroyed your own greatest asset!"

Just then a holographic image of Maleficent appeared and spoke, "my dear Regina," said the hologram, "if you're seeing this recording, it means you've finally gotten around to betraying me. No doubt you're wondering why I so callously allowed my book to be destroyed so easily. Well, the truth is that what was just destroyed wasn't my book."

"Of course," said Regina as she saw a scrap of the book that hadn't been completely burned. She picked it up and upon closer examination, saw that it was blank, "a booby trapped decoy. How foolish of me."

"Fear not," said the hologram of Maleficent, "my book is in a safe and secure location, as are many more of my secrets. Search for them all you wish, you will never come close to finding them."

"I can still try, you insufferable bitch!" shouted Regina.

But then the hologram of Maleficent gasped in mock surprise, "oh, wait, you won't have the chance! You'll never leave this cavern alive!" With that the hologram of Maleficent laughed viciously and vanished, just as the cavern began to violently shake.

"An earthquake spell," said Regina calmly, despite the fact that the cavern was shaking itself apart. The walls were cracking and stalactites were falling from the ceiling, threatening to collapse the chamber within seconds, "again, how foolish of me." She summoned her briefcase, reached in and pulled out another magic bean. She tossed it into the air, summoning another vortex and she stepped through. It closed up just as the chamber collapsed.

* * *

…**Castle Oblivion…**

"How overconfident I've become," said Regina as she stood on a balcony in one of the towers, dusting herself off, "so sure of my victory over Maleficent that I overlooked the obvious. But not anymore. Patience is a virtue. I shall wait for the right moment and only the right moment. Then and only then will I strike and take Maleficent down for good!"

* * *

…**Radiant Garden…The Enemy Base…**

"Farewell Regina," said Maleficent in a tone full of mock remorse as she looked at a dark purple crystal that was flashing in her hand, "you were a worthy rival, but alas, all good things must come to an end."

"What's that you're saying?" Huvnario Yr asked.

"Nothing," Maleficent said as she vanished the crystal and turned back to the main group. Karlaz and her inner circle, as well as Xehanort and Insano, where watching a five-panel view screen. On the first, they saw Sasogon and Gaston fight Gokai Pink, Gosei Pink, Olette, Sara and Mulan. The second screen had Yadokarikeiri and Sephiroth fighting Gokai Blue, Shinken Blue, Leon, Tidus and Hayner. The third screen had Dakkoliam and Lady Tremaine fighting Gokai Green, Go-On Green, Hercules, Ranma, Will and Kirjava. The fourth screen had Devapioret and Dio Brando fighting Gokai Yellow, Geki Yellow, Selphie, Yuffie, Lyra and Pan. The last screen had Akyrot fighting against Gokai Red, Bouken Red, Donald, Goofy and King Mickey.

"I still can't believe those space pirate _petaQ_ brought in those other Super Sentai _petaQ_!" exclaimed Uad'kexk.

"You keep using that word, my dear," said Xehanort, "I doubt it means what you think it means."

"It means what I want it to mean, old man," said the reptilian spy.

"No doubt the fools combined magic and science in some way to get past Ansem's shield," said Insano.

"Or simply used magic," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "my scanners detected a recent increase in trace magic in the castle."

"But who's magic is strong enough to penetrate the shield?" Maleficent asked.

"None, alone that is," said Xehanort, "no doubt that fool Ansem had Merlin and Yen Sid combine their respective powers with other magic users."

"It doesn't matter how they got here," said Vokarn, "the point is that representatives of five additional Super Sentai teams are here."

"But when they're destroyed along side the Gokaigers," said Janicia, "the rest will be that much diminished and make destroying all Super Sentai that much easier."

"Well said, my dear many-limbed bodyguard," said Karlaz, "but on the other hand," she then glared wrathfully at Maleficent, "I hope you have an explanation for why one of your own chose to abandon the cause!"

"Regina has always been a lose cannon," said Maleficent, "but she is no longer of anyone's concern, I've seen to it myself."

"So, she's dead then?" Janicia asked.

"As a doornail," said Maleficent.

"Can you be so confident?" Huvnario Yr asked, "this is a woman who survived falling off a mountain and being crushed by an avalanche, while having the body of an old crone no less."

"Yes, she was full of surprises," said Maleficent, "was, as in past tense. No, rest assure, Regina is no more."

"We shall see," said the cyborg majordomo.

"Oh! Look at that!" said Karlaz as she pointed to the screen where Sasogon had Gosei Pink in a bone crunching bear hug, "and that!" she pointed to the screen where Sephiroth and Yadokarikeiri had Gokai Blue and Shinken Blue occupied while Hayner was about to be struck by arrows.

"And there!" said Karlaz as she pointed at the screen where Ranma-chan and Will were trapped in lady Tremaine's torment beam, while Gokai Green and Go-On Green were surrounded by Ugatz and Gormin.

"And there!" said Karlaz as she pointed at the screen where Devapioret had just used Nanto Suichoken on Geki Yellow, Dio Brando was slowly killing Selphie with Triple Triad, while Gokai Yellow, Lyra and Yuffie were surrounded by Rinsis and Gormin.

"And there!" said Karlaz where Akyrot was aiming The Fist of Yavikallor at Bouken Red, while Gokai Red, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy were surrounded by Combatant Karths and Gormin.

"They're finished, I tell you!" Karlaz shouted franticly, "Finished I say!"

* * *

"Well, I hope that thing's as reliable as you hope it is," said Gokai Red, "'cause I'm about to get in your way!" with that he rushed at Akyrot.

"No! Don't!" shouted King Mickey, while Donald and Goofy also shouted for Gokai Red to stop, but he didn't.

"Fool!" shouted Akyrot as he aimed The Fist of Yavikallor at Gokai Red, the small crystals charging with dark purple energy. Gokai Red was less than ten paces from Akyrot when the glove finished charging and fired.

But then Gokai Red ducked the beam by inches, the deadly ray passing over him and obliterating several nearby crystal outcroppings.

"Dang, I missed," said Akyrot as Gokai Red got back up, "but I won't miss again!"

"You won't have the chance!" said Gokai Red.

At the same time, Bouken Red had used the distraction to get behind Akyrot and smashed the reptilian creature in the head with his Bouken Bo, knocking the creature down.

"Alright!" said King Mickey as he got back up and summoned back his gold Keyblade, "let's get back in the game, boys!" he then stabbed a Combatant Karth, then another, then decapitated a Sugormin.

"You got it!" said Donald as he zapped a Combatant Karth with a Thunder spell, then crushed two Gormin with a Gravity spell, while Goofy was bashing Gormin heads with his shield.

"This is impossible!" shouted Akyrot as he alternated between glaring at Bouken Red and Gokai Red, "Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo assured me that The Fist of Yavikallor was invincible! That it was the perfect Precious!"

"The only perfect Precious is one with a Hazard Level of zero," said Bouken Red, "That fancy glove of yours is too dangerous to even be allowed to exist. I'm not even going to try and capture it."

"Smashing it sounds good to me," said Gokai Red. With that he and Bouken Red rushed at Akyrot.

"Human filth!" shouted Akyrot as he charged up the metal glove and shot the deadly beam at Gokai Red, but missed, then fired another beam at Bouken Red, whom dodged it. Bouken Red then got within striking distance and delivered several solid hits with his Bouken Bo, inflicting massive amounts of spark damage to the reptilian creature.

Gokai Red then rushed in as Bouken Red held his Bouken Bo over his shoulder. Gokai Red jumped onto the red staff and used it as a springboard to jump higher.

"Die, human scum, die!" shouted Akyrot as he aimed and fired off the metal glove at Gokai Red, but missed. Gokai Red fell down with his saber held out and used it to cut off Akyrot's right hand at the wrist, severing The Fist of Yavikallor from his body. When the metal glove hit the ground, Bouken Red aimed and shot his blaster at it, destroying the instrument of mass destruction.

* * *

"What…what was that?" Geki Yellow asked as she held her wounded arm, "that wasn't _Rin Ju Akugata_."

"That's right, it wasn't!" said Devapioret with malicious glee, "it's a secret I was saving for after I reformed Rin Ju Dan, but since I'm going to use it to kill you, you might as well know. It's _Nanto Suichōken_!"

"_Nanto Suichōken?_" Geki Yellow asked, "'South Star Waterfowl Fist?' That uses qi to cut your oponet apart!"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Devapioret. With that she rushed in for another attack. Geki Yellow managed to block the first two strikes but with the third move, Devapioret brushed her fingertips across Geki Yellow's right shoulder, producing another shower of damage sparks and forcing Geki Yellow back, only for Devapioret to brush all oher fingertips across Geki Yellow's chest, delivering a double spark damage attack that nearly knocked her down.

"I don't think we're doing so well!" Lyra said after beheading a Gormin.

"Why? We seem to be winning," said Yuffie, whom had a Gormin in a headlock and was repeatedly bashing it.

"But the others aren't!" said Lyra as she pointed at Selphie, whom had just lost her fourth game and was now cut across both arms, legs and received a deep gash below her left eye, while Dio Brando was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. Lyra then pointed at Geki Yellow, whom had just received another fingertip brushing attack across the chest that knocked her down, her spandex-like armor the only thing keeping her from being sliced to pieces.

"We've got to help them!" said Yuffie as she released her hapless mook victim, only to find more Gormin, Sugormin and Rinsis closing in on her, Gokai Yellow, Lyra and Pan.

"Not to sound selfish," said Gokai Yellow, "but we've got our own problems to deal with first!" She then slashed at a Rinsi, then blasted a Gormin.

"I'd feel much better if someone wasn't losing on purpose!" said Lyra irately as she stabbed a Rinsi, then bashed a Gormin on the head with her sword.

"Who's losing on purpose?!" Yuffie asked as she dodged a Gormin and kicked it in the head.

"Selphie!" said Lyra, "she's letting that maniac beat her at that silly card game!"

"I'm not losing on purpose!" Selphie shouted, despite receiving multiple cuts from losing five games of Triple Triad, while Dio Brando had only lost one and had only one cut which was already healed.

"Funny," said Dio Brando as he and Selphie shuffled their decks, "from the way you've been playing, one would think you've got a death wish."

"I can still win this," said Selphie, "remember, I win seven, you have to let me go. Or is the word of Dio Brando worth only air?"

"I keep my promises," said Dio Brando, "just so long as you remember yours. I win seven, you die."

"You don't have to remind me," said Selphie. With that they began the next game.

"If you don't mind," said Devapioret, "I'll end my own little game here and now," she then stalked towards Geki Yellow, whom was breathing heavily from her wounds, her spandex-like armor still smoking from where she was hit.

"Feel no shame, Geki Yellow," said Devapioret, "you fought well and earned my respect. Take this to heart on your journey to hell; your fellow Geki Juken users will have the same opportunity to impress me!" She then reached back with both hands, "poor girl, I'll slice your head into ribbons!" She then slashed her hands at Geki Yellow's head.

But then Geki Yellow grabbed Devapioret before her hands made contact, "sorry," said Geki Yellow, "that won't be happening!" she then kicked Devapioret in the chest with enough force to send the black swan-like martial artist back several paces, while at the same time dislocating her left shoulder.

"You…you bitch!" exclaimed Devapioret as she clutched at her dislocated arm, "how!? How did you block my attack! The speed of _Nanto Suichōken _is unbeatable! You should be dead"

"I almost was," said Geki Yellow, "but thanks to my training to improve myself in Unbreakable Body and Fantastic Technique, I endured your attacks and anticipated your next one."

"Damn _Geki Juken_ triangle!" shouted Devapioret as she popped her arm back into its shoulder socket, "I'll just have to go all out then!"

"I won't give you the chance!" said Geki Yellow as she pulled out a meteor hammer with features of an elephant, just as Devapioret rushed at her. Geki Yellow swung the ball and chain weapon that was her Geki Elephant Hammer at the black swan-like martial artist, hitting her in the chest, then pulling the chain back for a swinging attack that hit Devapioret in the side, delivering a double spark damage strike that left Devapioret gasping for breath.

"Mind if I cut in?" Gokai Yellow asked as she attacked her string to her saber and delivered a multiple swinging slash attack that nearly knocked Devapioret down.

"Need some help, toots?" Dio Brando asked after wining his sixth game, leaving Selphie gasping for breath from all her cuts.

"Don't call me toots!" exclaimed Devapioret, just as Geki Yellow and Gokai Yellow delivered a double kick to her head.

"Hey, we're not done yet!" said Selphie as she regained her composure, wiped her hands free of blood and shuffled her deck.

"Oh give it a rest already," said Dio Brando, "you're a mess, you've lost so much blood you can barely sit up." he then picked up his knife, "why prolong your misery any longer?"

"Because I can still win!" said Selphie, "now play or forfeit!"

"I never abandon a challenge," said Dio Brando as he shuffled his deck, "let's end this." He and Selphie then laid down their cards, flipping them when called for.

But then to Dio Brando's surprise, Selphie won the game. "Looks like we're going into overtime," she said with an eager smile.

"Looks that way," said Dio Brando as he ignored the two cuts that appeared on his arm. With that they shuffled their chards and plaid again. But within seconds, Selphie won her third game, while Dio Brando took three cuts.

"I think our luck's changing!" said Yuffie as she had a Gormin in a headlock.

"Or maybe Selphie was losing on purpose!" said Pan as he tipped a Rinsi.

"She was, I understand now!" said Lyra, just as Selphie won her fourth game, "she was watching the maniac, learning his strategy so she could overcome it."

"No, I'm just a better player," said Selphie after wining her fifth game.

"Just as I am better than you all!" shouted Devapioret. She then gracefully leapt atop a crystal outcropping and began throwing feather darts at Geki Yellow and Gokai Yellow. The two dodged and blocked most of the bladed feathers, but a handful made contact and they both received spark damage. Gokai Yellow tried to use her pistol, but the feather darts disrupted her aim.

"You can't hit me if you can't get close!" shouted Devapioret.

"Any obstacle can be overcome!" said Geki Yellow. She then whipping back and forth her Geki Hammer back like she was fly fishing, the chain getting longer and longer, "_Geki Waza_: Geki Hammer _Gan Gan Dan_!" she then shot the hammer ball forward, the chain getting even longer as it flew towards and hit Devapioret hard in the chest with enough force to knock her down from the crystal outcropping.

"Oh, that had to hurt!" said Dio Brando after witnessing Devapioret's fall. He then winced slightly from the multiple of cuts he just received, "and so did that."

"That's six for you, six for me," said Selphie as she wiped more blood from her hands and away from her eyes, "this one is for all the marbles!"

* * *

"Don't just stand there-zappa!" shouted Dakkolaim, "help me, woman!"

"I will," said Lady Tremaine, "but only because it suits me so!" she then aimed her hands at Ranma-chan and Will and fired her torment beams. The dark energy rays hit Ranma-chan and Will, causing them and Kirjava to collapse to the ground, crying out in unparallel agony.

"What are you doing-zappa!?" Dakkolaim exclaimed as he ducked an axe swing from Go-On Green, "you're suppose to help me-zappa!"

"I am," said Lady Tremaine in a wickedly satisfied tone, blissfully enjoying the torment she was inflicting, "with these two and a half brats out of commission, more of your minions are free to assist you!"

Sure enough, Go-On Green and Gokai Green found themselves surrounded by Ugatz and Gormin.

"We've got to help them!" Gokai Green shouted as he bashed a Gormin on the head, then ducked an attack from an Ugatz.

"I agree, but we're in a jam ourselves!" said Go-On Green as he dodged several Gormin and Ugatz.

"I can feel it!" Lady Tremaine shouted with ecstatic joy while Will, Kirjava and Ranma-chan writned in agony from her torment beam, "their despair and sorrow, the utter desolation and dejection that is rotting their hearts away, it is delicious!"

"Stop it!" Go-On Green shouted as he bashed a Gormin in the head, then punched an Ugatz in the face, while Gokai Green tricked two Ugatz into crashing into each other.

"No!" shouted Lady Treamaine, "their suffering is filling the emptiness in my heart and I shall continue to fill it until they succumb to their own misery!"

But then the shadow of something big drew across Lady Tremaine. She looked up and saw an enormous crystal falling towards her. She barely dodged the crystal but was cut multiple times when the crystal shattered into razor-sharp shards that flew in all directions. Ranma-chan, Will and Kirjava were on the ground so they avoided the crystal shards, but they were too relieved to be free of the torment beam to care, while Go-On Green and Gokai Green took cover behind a smaller crystal outcropping.

"Who dared to throw that thing at me!?" Lady Tremaine demanded, only to be forced to dodge another large crystal.

"That's what you get for taking pleasure in hurting people!" Hercules shouted. He then grabbed another large crystal and ripped it free of the ground as if picking up a pebble, then threw it at Lady Tremaine, again as if it were a pebble.

"You sure know how to piss the humans off-zappa," said Dakkoliam.

"If I wanted your opinion, metal man," said an irate Lady Tremaine, "I'd give it to you! And, pray tell, why are you standing around like an imbecile when not too long ago you admonished me for not providing any assistance!?"

"Just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine-zappa," said Dakkolain, only to be tackled by Hercules and thrown into the air. He landed hard and bounced, only to be hit hard by Go-On Green's Bridge Axe.

* * *

"One man's psychopath is another's potential god!" said Sephiroth. He then appeared to vanish, only to appear above Gokai Blue with Masamune pointing down in both hands, intending to impale Gokai Blue from behind.

But Gokai Blue sensed the rear attack and dodged it. He then noticed a slightly disoriented Nanashi and grabbed the creature's sword, "mind if I borrow this?" the blue space pirate asked, then kicked the creature in the head. He then turned to the left and slashed Sephiroth across the arm as the one-winged angel was recovering from his failed sneak attack.

"Had enough?" Gokai Blue asked as he prepared to keep fighting, assuming a dual-sword stance.

"I've only just begun," said Sephiroth as he ignored his cut arm, "I acknowledge your skills as a sword master, but this battle is already decided. You cannot defeat me."

"That remains to be seen," said Gokai Blue. With that the two swordsmen rushed at each other, exchanging blows in a fury of clashing steel. But as they separated to launch a fresh spree of attacks, Gokai Blue noticed that two Nanashi armed with bows and arrows were drawing aim at Hayner, whom was completely oblivious to the incoming danger.

"Look out!" Gokai Blue shouted, only to duck a sword strike from Sephiroth. He could only watch as the two Nanashi released their arrows on Hayner.

Just then a small blue dragon with origami features got in front of Hayner and blocked the arrows. Hayner, slightly confused, saw the blue origami dragon return to Shinken Blue's hand, where it folded into black hexagon with the blue Kanji symbol for Water, "thanks," said Hayner.

"Any time!" said Shinken Blue. He then stabbed a Nanashi, then kicked a Gormin.

"This has gone on far too long!" Yadokarikeiri. He then threw his flying guilteen at Shinken Blue, only to have the bladed sphere cut from the chain by Shinken Blue.

"I agree!" said the blue samurai. He then spun the blue disk on his sword, the mirror guard reflecting the disk like a praxinoscope, showing the image of his origami dragon.

"_Mizu no Maku!"_ shouted Shinken Blue as his sword charged up with Mojikara, he then slashed the blade, unleashing a wall of water that slammed into Yadokarikeiri and knocked the creature down.

"Your friend isn't doing so well," said Gokai Blue to Sephiroth.

"But he was right, it's time to end this," said Sephiroth. He then leapt back several paces and raised his hand, "Sin Harvest!"

But before the one winged angel could power up the attack that could kill instantly anyone within range, Tidus bashed Sephiroth on the head with his sword.

"That's for Sora, you feathered jerk!" Tidus shouted.

* * *

"I dare because I have to," said Gosei Pink as she aimed both her blasters at the female sasquatch, "now give up!"

"Or what? You'll punish me?" Sasogon asked in a daring tone, "you'll punish me? We could keep fighting until we destroy each other, or," she then spread her arms wide, "or I can give you a hug."

"What?" Gosei Pink asked in a confused tone, lowering her blasters slightly.

"A hug!" Sasogon shouted, This was the opening Sasogon had hoped for as the female sasquatch rushed at Gosei Pink and before the spandex-armored angel could react, grabbed her in a bone crunching embrace.

"I'm gonna hug the life right out of you, angel girl!" exclaimed Sasogon as she increased the pressure of her bear hug against Gosei Pink, whom was struggling to break free but the massive arms of the female sasquatch had her completely restrained. Sparks began to shoot from her spandex-like armor as more and more pressure was exerted by Sasogon.

"Eri!" shouted Gokai Pink. She tried to rush to help, but had to dodge a destruction beam from Gaston, then was caught in the shoulder by another blast, emitting a shower of spar damage and knocking her down.

"We've got to help them!" Sara shouted.

"We're in trouble enough as it is!" shouted Mulan as she, Olette and Sara found themselves surrounded by Gormin and Bibi Soldiers.

"Can you feel it, angel girl?" Sasogon asked as she continued to squeeze the life out of Gosei Pink, "death is calling for you!"

"You too, pirate wench!" Gaston shouted as he shot his destruction beam at Gokai Pink, which she dodged by bare inches.

"Don't you call her a wench, you bully!" Sara shouted as she directed Crystal Star to smash through the Bibi Soldiers and Gormin around her, Mulan and Olette, scattering the minions into the air like bowling pins.

Olette then sent a fireball at Gaston, forcing him back from Gokai Pink, whom then blasted the brute in the chest with her pistol.

Mulan then rushed at Sasogon, only for the female sasquatch to throw Gosei Pink at Mulan. Gosei Pink gasped for breath as she collided with Mulan and they both fell to the ground in a heap.

"Looks like I'll have to skewer you both!" said Sasogon as she recovered her spear. She stalked towards the still slightly disoriented Mulan and Gosei Pink, raising her spear to impale them both at the same time, "Die! Die! DIE!"

But then Gosei Pink pulled out one of her cards and opened her Tensounder.

_'**Gotcha!'**_

"Compresthunder Card!" shouted Gosei Pink as she inserted the card into the device and closed it, _"Tensou!"_

_** 'Spark! Skyick Power!'**_

A small thundercloud appeared over Sasogon and shot multiple bolts of lighting down, hitting the raised spear and electrocuting the female sasquatch, knocking the creature off her feet.

"That's not right!" exclaimed Gaston.

"You don't say!" Sarah remarked as she made Crystal Star kick Gaston in the groin with pride-obliterating force. The brute let out a high pitched grunt of agony and fell over, clutching his mangled privates.

* * *

…**The Enemy Base…**

"Can someone please explain to me what happened?" Karlaz asked in a calm yet concerned tone as she and the other baddies watched the five battles, witnessing the sudden turn of fortunes for the Gokaigers and their allies, while the Action Commanders and Villains had the tables turned on them, "will someone please enlighten me?"

"It…it would appear that our forces are losing, Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr in a cautious tone.

Karlaz glared at her cyborg majordomo with murder in her eyes, "I can see that! I'm not an idiot! What I want to know is how those filthy space pirates and their filthy allies got the best of my Action Commanders!" she then glared at Maleficent, "and pray tell how is that your subordinates have turned out to be so incompetent!?"

Maleficent then glared back at Karlaz, "the only incompetent ones are your own subordinates!"

"You're the incompetent one!" Karlaz shouted as she gripped the handle of her sword, preparing to draw it, "everything was going according to plan until you decided to tag along with me! I was winning!"

"You invited me to join your little crusade!" Maleficent shouted as her hands crackled with dark magic, "and your problems started long before you even dared to consider an alliance with The Mistress of all Evil!"

"The only mistress you are of is air!" said Karlaz.

"Just as you are the empress of air!" said Maleficent.

"Ladies, please," said Huvnario Yr in a desperately placing manner, "if I may…"

"BE SILENT!" shouted Karlaz, "we're having an argument!"

Just then Bosco nonchalantly strode in, "I'm back, Karlaz-chan!" he said cheerfully. The flamboyant privateer then saw the standoff between Maleficent and Karlaz, "umm…I can come back later if this is a bad time."

"You have ten seconds to state your business, Bosco," said Karlaz grimly, "then I take your fraking head!"

"I've got Alice," said Bosco.

At that Karlaz was left dumbstruck for several seconds before answering, "excuse me? Did I hear you right?"

"You did, Karlaz-chan," said Bosco as the Tohgormin brought over the unconscious Alice.

"Well now," said a happily smiling Karlaz, "that's different," she then walked up to the sleeping Alice, "is she…"

"She's unharmed," said Bosco, "she was zonked out when I picked her up at the castle." He then pulled out his _Rapparatta _and brought the insidious trumpet to his lips.

"Not yet, dear Bosco," said Karlaz, "not just yet." she then looked at the screen showing the five simultaneous battles, "it would seem that your old shipmate and his crew are doing quite well."

"Yeah, Marvy-chan always had a lucky streak about him," said Bosco, "what are you going to do about it?"

"Yes, what are you going to do about saving my subordinates and yours?" Xehanort asked.

At that Karlaz glared at Xehanort for a moment. "General Vokarn," she said, "do we have any anti-personal missiles in my shuttle?"

"Yes, Lady Karlaz," said Vokarn. He then bowed and headed towards Karlaz's ship.

"What are you up to now?" Maleficent asked.

"You'll see," said Karlaz in a mischievous tone.

A moment later a hatch opened on the top of the shuttle and from it emerged a ten-barreled missile launcher. It rotated a few degrees to the left, then a few degrees up and fired five missiles.

"Give it a minute," said Karlaz as a Gormin brought over a pocket watch, "any second now…and…"

On the monitors, the missiles appeared over each battle, released dozens of mini-bombs that exploded among both heroes and villains, tossing them about like they were bowling pins.

"That's your strategy?" Xehanort asked, "destroying your enemies and comrades!"

"The bombs weren't meant to murder them," said Karlaz as the images on the monitors showed the rescue teams still alive, as were the Action Commanders and Villains. The remaining Gormin and various minions weren't so lucky.

"General Vokarn is transmitting a withdraw signal to my Action Commanders," said Karlaz to Maleficent and Xehanort, "they'll be returning to the base with your precious subordinates."

True enough, the Action Commanders received the message. Sasogon, Yadokarikeiri, Dakkoliam, Devapioret and Akyrot, along with Gaston, Lady Tremaine, Sephiroth and Dio Brando, left the battlefields and headed back towards the base.

"They're not covering their tracks," said Xehanort. He then pointed at the monitors, where the Gokaigers and the other heroes were pulling themselves together, with the space pirates powering down to their normal attire, "and those fools! Why don't you finish them off!?"

"Because I want them to come here," said Karlaz, "I want them to reach this base alive. Fear not, friend Xehanort, I'll have a proper reception in store for them," she then looked at Huvnario Yr "won't we?"

"Indeed, Lady Karlaz," said the cyborg majordomo.

* * *

"Well, that was just unfair," said Tidus as he, Hayner, Leon, Akashi and Captain Marvelous, recovered from the bomb blasts.

"Why didn't they press their advantage?" Leon asked as he sheathed his gun blade across his back, "they had us on the ropes for a moment now, why didn't they attack further?"

"It would have cost them their minions and warriors," said Hayner.

"They already wiped out their mooks," said Akashi, "we took out most of them, but those bombs finished them off."

"They could have finished us off as well just as easily," said Captain Marvelous, "but they didn't."

Just then his Mobalite rang, "Marvelous!" Joe said from the other end of the call, "I've got the others on multi-line."

"What just happened, Captain?" Doc asked, "my team was winning!"

"So was mine!" said Luka.

"And mine," said Ahim.

"We all were winning, it seems," said Captain Marvelous.

"Is everyone alright?" Selphie asked as she got near Luka's phone.

"We're fine," said Olette, "a bit shook up, but we're fine."

"But why did those goons and baddies run away?" Ranma-chan asked.

Just then Captain Marvelous' Mobalite beeped with an incoming call. Gai spoke on the other end of the line, "Marvelous! Bosco broke into the castle and took Alice! We're chasing after him, but…"

"Hang back, Gai, we've got this!" said Captain Marvelous. He then disconnected the line to Gai's phone, "did you hear that, everyone?"

"You bet your sweet ass we did," said an irate Sara.

"We can keep going!" said Mulan.

"But it could be a trap," said Will.

"Of course it's a trap," said Lyra, "Karlaz is setting up an energy draining field around her base. She means to have us watch as Bosco takes Alice's power."

"Then we'd better get there before Karlaz is ready for us," said Captain Marvelous.

"I'm in the mood to crash a party," said Luka.

"Then let's get this ball rolling," said Ryunouske.

With that the five rescue teams hurried towards the enemy base.

* * *

"Can you believe that?" Katarina asked Gai, "he hung up on you! How rude!"

"That's Captain Marvelous for you," said Gai as he pocketed his Gokai Cellular, "he knows what's best."

"Blindly following your captain's orders won't save Alice," said Nikolai.

"And disobeying them will?" Victoire asked, "sounds good to me."

"I never said we should stay put," said Gai, "we're still on Bosco's trail."

"Which is getting colder the longer we wait," said Jacob.

"Not as cold as you might think," said Teddy, "it's clear that Bosco made no effort to cover his tracks. Either he's that incompetent, or he's bating us."

"I'm willing to bet that he's an idiot," said Jacob.

"Ditto," said Nessie.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Pence asked, "let's go save Alice?" He then realized that everyone was looking at him as if he had just said something outrageous, "what? What is it?"

"Not too long ago you were all pessimistic," said Nessie.

"I had a change of mood, that's all," said Pence.

"Works for me," said Gai. With that he and the others hurried after Bosco and Alice.

* * *

…**The Enemy Base…**

"All is set, Lady Karlaz," said Vokon.

"Outstanding," said Karlaz, "now…all we need is to wait for our guests."

At that moment, the Action Commanders and villains reached the fortified pavilion, "You!" Lady Tremaine shouted at Karlaz, "you betrayed us!"

"Betrayed you?" Karlaz asked innocently, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You fired those cluster bombs at all of us!" said an irate Dio Brando.

"As each of us explained to you," said Devapioret, "it was part of Lady Karlaz's plan."

"She gave us the chance to withdraw in good order, that she did," said Sasogon.

"Good order my eye!" exclaimed Gaston.

"There was no need for retreat," said Sephiroth, "we had the situation under control."

"Under control my scaly ass," said Uad'kexk, "you goobers were being taken to the cleaners."

"We would have won if _someone_," said Devapioret as she glared at Dio Brando, "hadn't wasted time playing that juvenile card game."

"Hey, don't diss on Triple Triad," said Dio Brando.

"I'll diss on you, human scum-zappa!" said Dakkoliam, "you and the others weren't any real help at all-zappa!"

"And my associate abandoned me!" said Akyrot, "I hope that bitch rots in hell!"

"Where is Regina, anyway?" Dio Brando asked.

"Regina will no longer be joining us," said Maleficent, "she met a rather…unfortunate accident."

"You killed her," said Sephiroth in a matter of fact tone.

"I never laid a finger on her," said Maleficent, "it was her own greed and ambition that lead to her untimely end." She then glared at Sephiroth, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine and Gaston, "and do not thing you will be immune to my wrath. I know full well that you all were conspiring with Regina behind my back. You all sought to dispose of me and Xehanort."

"They were?" Xehanort asked in an astonished tone, yet it was unclear if he was sincere or not, "how extraordinary," he then grabbed Insano, whom was trying to tiptoe out of the area before he was noticed, "tell me, good doctor, were you aware of this insidious conspiracy?"

"I…ah…that is…" said Insano in a flustered tone, "I…no, I had no idea they were planning to stab you both in the back."

"You lying lunatic!" exclaimed Lady Tremaine, "Regina had you analyze Maleficent's potion!"

"Don't try to cover it up, Insano," said Dio Brando, "it's game over."

"If we burn for this, you'll burn with us!" Gaston shouted.

"Oh, you shall do far more than burn," said Maleficent, "when I am finished you, you will be begging to die."

"You can't kill us all," said Lady Tremaine, "you need us!"

"Not for much longer," said Maleficent, "my new enforcers are nearing maturation. In a shot time, I shall have twelve dark warriors of unparallel power and loyal to no one but me. Which means you four will soon be rendered obsolete."

"You too, you laboratory reject," said Xehanort viciously to Insano. He then looked at Maleficent, "I'm sure at least one of your new dark warriors will have the scientific expertise to surpass our goggle-wearing friend."

"It can be arranged for one or two to possess a superior intellect," said Maleficent.

"No test tube mutant can surpass the demonic mind of Doctor Insano!" exclaimed the goggled maniac.

"Well see when our new geniuses dissect your brain," said Xehanort, "we'll see if there's a demon in your mind or not."

Just then there came multiple explosions outside the perimeter of the base.

"Ah, our friends have arrived," said a grinning Karlaz. She then turned to Janicia, "be a dear and go fetch our guests, will you?"

"At once, Lady Karlaz," said the four-armed bodyguard. With that she left the area, accompanied by several Gormin and Sugormin.

"I believe we can finish this argument of betrayal and revenge afterwards," said Karlaz. She then signaled to several more Gormin, whom began to set up several chairs with arm, leg and head restraints.

"Yes," said Maleficent, "I can wait."

"Patience has always been one of my stronger virtues," said Xehanort.

"Okay, we're officially screwed," said Dio Brando as he, Gaston, Lady Tremaine, Sephiroth and Insano, grouped together while Maleficent, Xehanort and Karlaz were distracted, "I say we blow this popsicle stand and go back to Castle Oblivion, pack our stuff and head for the hills."

"Hopefully before Maleficent decides what to do with us," said Lady Tremaine.

"Good plan, I'm all for it," said Gaston.

"You're forgetting one simple fact," said Sephiroth, "the shield."

"Of course, Ansem," said Insano, "how fitting that I should be trapped by one of his inventions yet again!"

"That shield can't last forever," said Dio Brando, "I say we sneak back to the castle and knock out the shield generator, like we should have done as soon as this whole mess got started. Then we run for the hills."

"If we take the shield down," said Sephiroth, "we might just be able to get back in our comrade's good graces. Or, at least hold them at bay long enough to make a more effective escape."

"No, no escape," said Insano irately, "I've been denied satisfaction for far too long. I say we stay."

"Now I know you're mad," said Lady Tremaine, "I just had to be sure."

"No, we should hear him out," said Sephiroth. He then looked at Insano, "why should we stay?'

"Because we'd be casting aside a golden opportunity that may never come again," said Insano. He then gestured towards Maleficent and Insano as they and Karlaz watched a long table with hand and leg restrains brought out, on which Alice was placed upon and secured, "we should kill them now."

"You're still mad," said Lady Tremaine.

"We should attack now!" Insano insisted, "Maleficent and Xehanort, they think us cowed and subdued, but I say differently."

"He's right," said Sephiroth, "Maleficent and Xehanort, their guard is down. Now is the time to strike, now when they least expect it!"

"Why bother?" Dio Brando asked, "without Regina…"

"We don't need her for this!" said Gaston, "we never needed her."

"All she did was bring us together and look what that accomplished," said Lady Tremaine, "she has been destroyed and our lives hang by a thread."

"We would have banded together against Maleficent and Xehanort sooner or later," said Sephiroth, "I already had my own plans to destroy Xehanort, while I'm sure the rest of you had your own strageties in the work on destroying him and Maleficent."

"I'll admit it," said Dio Brando, "this is starting to sound like a good idea."

"Then let's do it now," said Insano as his gloved hands crackled with energy, "now, before they raise their guard against us again."

But before the five villains could do anything, Janicia returned, with her party of Gormin and Sugormin, escorting Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim, King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Akashi, Ryunouske, Leon, Tidus, Hayner, Ran, Selphie, Yuffie, Lyra and Pan, Hanto, Hercules, Ranma-chan, Will and Kirjava, Eri, Olette, Sara and Mulan, all of them bound and gagged, their bodies bruised and cut, their clothes scorched and torn. Several Gormin carried the Mobalites and other transformation devices used by the Gokaiger and their Super Sentai allies, as well as Leon's Gun Blade and the weapons of the others.

"I'll be damned again," said an astonished Dio Brando as he and his fellow villains watched in amazement as the heroes were forced over to the restraining chairs and made to sit down, the clamps securing their heads, arms and legs, while the transformation devices were placed on another table, "they actually caught them all."

"And here I thought we all were having a bad day," said Sephiroth, "so, what is our next course of action?"

"Do we still try to kill Maleficent and Xehanort?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Our chances are much better," said Sephiroth, "if we move carefully, we might be able to maintain the element of surprise."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Bosco as he sidled up to the five villains.

"Who asked your opinion, trumpet man?" Insano asked, "and isn't it rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

"But it is insightful," said Bosco, "anyway, the way I see it, all eyes are on Karlaz-chan right now, while Maleficent and Xehanort are right next to her. If you make a move on your bosses, everyone loyal to Karlaz-chan here will think you're trying to assassinate her and they'll vaporize you in a heartbeat."

"By the darkness, he's right," said Lady Tremaine, "we can't try to destroy them now."

"We wouldn't even get close," said Gaston, "so what now?"

"Well, if I were in your position," said Bosco, "I'd try to find a way to escape."

"How?" Gaston asked, "wait…the shield."

"If we destroy the generator, we can use Dark Corridors again," said Sephiroth.

"We'll go back to Castle Oblivion, collect whatever we need and then run for the hills," Dio Brando. He then looked at Bosco, "thanks."

"But why?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Why?" Bosco asked, "because I can. Now, if you'll excise me," he then used his sleeve to polish his _Rapparatta_, "I'm due for a performance." With that he hurried towards the center of the area.

"What a weirdo," said Insano.

"Coming from you, that's a compliment," said Dio Brando, "well, I'm not one to ignore a golden opportunity."

"Neither am I," said Lady Tremaine. With that she, Dio Brando, Sephiroth, Gaston and Insano, snuck out of the encampment.

* * *

"Well, well, well," said Karlaz as she stood in front of the Gokaigers, whom sat bound and restrained in the chairs, the five space pirates sitting in the middle of the chair line, right in front of the unconscious and restrained Alice, "isn't this a sight. Captain Marvelous, at last we meet in the flesh." She then walked right up to Captain Marvelous, took off his gag and kissed him right on the mouth, much to the shock and disgust of both heroes and villains in the area, especially that of the pirate captain.

"That," said Karlaz after she broke away from Captain Marvelous, "was for eliminating my idiot half-brother, Walz. And this," she then slapped Captain Marvelous right across the face, "was for murdering my half-brother! Would you like me to thank you for my father?"

"No need," said Captain Marvelous, "it was a pleasure to kill Akudos. No doubt you would have done the same if you had the chance."

"A chance that you stole from me," said Karlaz, "but, what's done is done." She then walked up and down the line of captive heroes, "what's done is done. You all fought valiantly and made this campaign a fitting challenge, all but guaranteeing my ascension to the throne of Zangyack."

Luka then spat out her gag, "is that what this was all about?" she asked in an exasperated tone, "you fudged up this world just so you can make your bones and fill daddy's shoes?"

"I'll do more than inherit my father's mantle," said Karlaz, "I'll surpass my father."

Joe then spat out his gag, "the only thing that you've surpassed was Akudos' insanity," he said.

"I admit, I'm somewhat mad," said Karlaz, "but then again, genius and insanity often go hand in 't you agree, Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo?"

"Without a doubt, Lady Karlaz," said the insect scientist.

"Lady Karlaz shall be greater than Akudos ever was!" shouted Vokarn. At that the Gormin, Sugormin, Action Commanders and Karlaz's inner circle all cheered triumphantly.

"Yes, yes, I am fantastic," said Karlaz smugly, "but your praise is premature. There are still many things left to do before I become the supreme overlord of the universe. Bosco darling?"

"Ready, willing and able, Karlaz-chan," said Bosco as he sauntered up to the table where Alice lay.

Doc then spat out his gag, "get away from her, you jerk!"

Ahim then spat out her gag, "if you touch her, I'll…"

"I won't lay a finger on the waif," said Bosco, "but I promise you this, it won't be pleasant for her," he then brought his insidious trumpet to his lips and blew a wavering note.

Instantly, Alice cried out in pain and thrashed against the restraints, while her power was drawn out from her body and into the trumpet. After a few seconds, the light had left her and she slumped onto the table, still unconscious but also still in pain.

"And that makes six," said Bosco as he took the condensed power from his trumpet and handed it to Karlaz.

"Six of Seven, my friends!" she said to her followers as she held the stolen power up for all to see, causing a deafening cheer to rise up. Karlaz then handed the stolen power to Huvnario Yr, whom then placed it in the case with the first five stolen powers and closed it, handing the case to one of the Gormin.

"Now all we need to do is take out the shield and we can go after Kairi," said Karlaz, "after we destroy this world of course."

"And I admonish some of my less loyal subordinates," said Maleficent.

"You freaking psychopaths!" Yuffie shouted after she spat out her gag, she then struggled to free herself from her bonds and the restraining chair, "you give that back! And you give back the other powers you took!"

"No," said Karlaz, "and I won't give back Kairi's when I take hers."

"You just wait until you meet Sora and the others!" Tidus shouted, "they'll chew you up and spit you out!"

"Like you hoped to do the same to me?" Karlaz asked, "I don't think so. The most you can hope for now is a quick and painless death, hopefully without any form of torture. However," she then gave a warm, disarming smile, "I am not without mercy. In fact, I can be most generous when the mood strikes."

She then walked up to Captain Marvelous again, "you probably won't believe this, but I kinda have a crush on you."

"What?" Captain Marvelous asked in a confused tone.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Joe, Luka, Doc and Ahim, while the other captive heroes looked dumbstruck.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Vokarn, Uad'kexk, Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, Janicia and Huvnario Yr, while Maleficent, Xehanort, the Action Commanders and minions, all looked dumbstruck as well.

"Forgive me, Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr nervously, "but, did I hear you correctly?"

"You heard right, my bionic butler," said Karlaz, "I'm smitten with the man who murdered my brother and father," she then belt closer to Captain Marvelous, "in fact, one could say I've fallen in love with you."

"NO!" exclaimed Janicia as she drew all of her swords, her face twisted with rage, "I forbid this, Lady Karlaz! I won't allow yourself to be corrupted by this pirate sucm!"

"Let me kill him, Lady Karlaz!" said Uad'Kexk as she drew her blasters, "let me kill the _petaQ _and restore honor to your family and to the empire!"

"You'll do no such thing!" Karlaz said sternly, "not until I say so," she then looked at Captain Marvelous again, "at least until I have had my say. You see, Marvelous, you are truly the first man to defy Zangyack. You're responsible for the death of countless soldiers of the empire, of dozens of Action Commanders, loyal retainers of the royal family, members of the royal family and, when you get right down to it, shaking the empire to its core. Mad I may be, but I find that highly attractive in a man."

"Gee, I didn't know you cared," said Captain Marvelous.

"I care enough to make you an offer you'd be a fool to refuse," said Karlaz, "an offer that might just save your life." She then looked at the captive heroes, "all of your lives. To save the empire from crumbling into endless civil wars and chaos, I'll need all the strong hands I can get in order to restore peace and tranquility to Zangyack."

Mulan spat out her gag, "are you asking us to join you?"

"No freaking way!" shouted Ranma-chan.

"We'd rather die than join you!" shouted Lyra.

"And die you shall," said Karlaz, "but before you consign yourselves to everlasting death, think about it. Join Zangyack and you'll help rebuild the empire into something so bright, so beautiful, it will be the envy of all of existence.

"And the benefits of joining the empire; wealth and power, enough to make all your dreams come true. Whatever you wish, it shall be yours," she then looked at Captain Marvelous again, "and you, you shall have the greatest prize of all; me. Believe it or not, I've been saving myself for just the right man, a man worthy of ruling the empire beside me."

"Again, gee, I didn't know you cared," said Captain Marvelous, "you sure I'm worthy?"

"Without a doubt," said Karlaz, "this is not to be shrugged off lightly, Marvelous. Join me and all of Zangyack shall bow to you. You'll be the most powerful man in the universe. None will be able to challenge you, save me. All I ask is love and obedience."

"I thought it was better to be feared than loved," said Ahim irately.

"Let the masses fear me," said Karlaz, "let my own minions and warriors fear me. All I ask is one man to love me without condition. Marvelous, you've been searching for the greatest treasure in the universe. You found it on Earth; the power of one wish to change anything in the universe."

"And I threw it away because it cost too much," said Captain Marvelous.

"You did what?" Sara asked.

"Wait, let me get this straight," said Ranma-chan, "this great treasure, it was a wish? And you could wish for anything?"

"We could have used it to destroy Zangyack once and for all," said Joe, "just wish it out of existence."

"But the price was too high for us to pay," said Doc.

"We would have had to sacrifice the powers of the previous Super Sentai," said Ahim, "it would have been as if they never existed. We couldn't do that to them, not after everything they've done to protect their world."

"I'm glad you like us so much," said Ran, while Akashi, Hanto, Ryunouske and Eri nodded.

"Well, you cast aside one treasure," said Karlaz to Captain Marvelous, "but there's another treasure, one equally great and priceless," she bent down, her lips just inches from his, "me. Join me and the universe shall be yours."

There was a brief moment of silence before Captain Marvelous spat right in Karlaz's eye, earning a gasp of shock from the Zangyack forces.

"You go, captain!" said Luka, while Ahim smiled triumphantly.

A look of disgust and unadulterated loathing on her face, Karlaz wiped the salivia from her eye and backed away, "so be it," she said coldly.

* * *

"Okay, we've got to do something now," said Jacob as he, Nessie, Victoire, Teddy, Katarina, Nikolai, Pete, Pence and Gai, hid behind a large crystal outcropping, having seen and heard everything in the enemy encampment.

"I agree," said Teddy, "but what can we do right now?"

"They don't know we're here," said Nessie, "sometimes surprise is enough."

"Numbers also count, no pun intended," said Nikolai, "eight against all those villains, and who knows how many more minions Karlaz can summon?"

"Well, if we stay here and do nothing, our friends are pretty much dead," said Katarina.

"I say we rush at Karlaz and rip her head off," said Pence.

"I'm game," said Nessie.

"It's suicide," said Nikolai.

"You got a better idea?" Gai asked, "'cause I've got nothing."

"Neither do I," Nikolai said reluctantly.

"Then we'll rush them," said Victoire as she and Teddy drew their wands, "and if we don't get to Karlaz, the commotion we cause could be enough for our friends to get free and help."

"Let's do it then," said Katarina, while Pence, Nessie and Teddy nodded.

"On three," said Gai as he pulled out his Gokai Cellular and silver Ranger Key, while the others braced to jump out from hiding and rush the fortified pavilion, "one…two…"

But before he got to 'three,' there was a commotion from within the encampment. A swirling purple vortex had appeared and from it emerged Regina, whom was looking smugly at a shocked and outraged Maleficent.

"I thought the shield prevented teleportation," said Katarina. "Not even magic can get through."

"Not ordinary magic," said Nikolai, "and despite her wicked nature, Regina is an extraordinary magic user."

"Hello, Maleficent," said Regina, "miss me?"

**The end of chapter 7.**

_Next chapter brings about a confrontation five Volumes in the making. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


	9. Chapter 8: Penultimate Peril

_Last time found our heroes and allies battling a variety of Zangyack Action Commanders gathered from defeated enemies of earlier Super Sentai, while Gai's group followed after Bosco and the kidnapped Alice. At the same time, Regina nearly got her hands on Maleficent's book, but that turned out to be a trap that the former Evil Queen barely got out of alive. In the end, Karlaz set a trap for the rescue teams, rendering them helpless and forcing them to watch Bosco take Alice's power. Karlaz then shocked everyone by declaring her affections for Captain Marvelous, offering him the chance to join her and rule the universe, an offer which he promptly refused and furthering agitating Karlaz's wrath. 'Nuff said, on with the show!_

**Chapter 8: Penultimate Peril**

"Okay, we've got to do something now," said Jacob as he, Nessie, Victoire, Teddy, Katarina, Nikolai, Pete, Pence and Gai, hid behind a large crystal outcropping, having seen and heard everything in the enemy encampment.

"I agree," said Teddy, "but what can we do right now?"

"They don't know we're here," said Nessie, "sometimes surprise is enough."

"Numbers also count, no pun intended," said Nikolai, "eight against all those villains, and who knows how many more minions Karlaz can summon?"

"Well, if we stay here and do nothing, our friends are pretty much dead," said Katarina.

"I say we rush at Karlaz and rip her head off," said Pence.

"I'm game," said Nessie.

"It's suicide," said Nikolai.

"You got a better idea?" Gai asked, "'cause I've got nothing."

"Neither do I," Nikolai said reluctantly.

"Then we'll rush them," said Victoire as she and Teddy drew their wands, "and if we don't get to Karlaz, the commotion we cause could be enough for our friends to get free and help."

"Let's do it then," said Katarina, while Pence, Nessie and Teddy nodded.

"On three," said Gai as he pulled out his Gokai Cellular and silver Ranger Key, while the others braced to jump out from hiding and rush the fortified pavilion, "one…two…"

But before he got to 'three,' there was a commotion from within the encampment. A swirling purple vortex had appeared and from it emerged Regina, whom was looking smugly at a shocked and outraged Maleficent.

"I thought the shield prevented teleportation," said Katarina. "Not even magic can get through."

"Not ordinary magic," said Nikolai, "and despite her wicked nature, Regina is an extraordinary magic user."

* * *

"Hello, Maleficent," said Regina, "miss me?"

"Like I miss the plague," said Maleficent irately, "how? How did you survive my trap!? Tell me, damn you!"

"Say please and I might just tell," said Regina as she smiled playfully.

"Tell me before I destroy you utterly!" Maleficent exclaimed.

"If you kill me," said Regina, "then how can I tell you? Oh, alright, I'll tell, before you burst a blood vessel. I used a magic bean to escape your cavern."

"You used a _bean _to get off the planet," said Akyrot.

"Magic beans are real-zappa?" Dakkoliam asked.

"Well, of course they're real," said Sasogon, "we've seen all sorts of weirdness since we came to this dimension."

"I also used another bean to get back to Radiant Garden," said Regina. She then looked at Maleficent, "so that's three that you owe me for. Do you have any idea how rare and valuable magic beans are? How long and difficult it is to grow them? And of course, there's the matter of where you put your book, and that disgusting sack of proto-plasum."

"You will never find where I put my book and my future dark warriors," said Maleficent, "they're safely beyond your reach."

"I figured as much," said Regina, "so, here we are; two hated enemies out for the blood of each other," she then looked at Karlaz, her followers and the captive heroes, "and what an audience! I'm flattered."

"Don't just stand there like an idiot!" Maleficent snapped at Karlaz, "order your forces to capture her!"

"I'm going to ignore that," said Karlaz, "and watch this unfolding drama," a pair of Gormin then brought over a plush chair and Karlaz sat down, "after being rejected so heartlessly, I'm in the mood for some entertainment."

"Then I fully intend to give you a show you'll never forget," said Regina.

"They really are fighting," said Nessie as she, Jacob, Pete, Victoire, Teddy, Katarina, Nikolai, Pence and Gai, watched from their hiding place, "I don't think even Aunt Alice could have seen this coming."

"In the meantime, we've still got another Alice to save," said Nikolai.

"And the rest of our friends," said Katarina.

"Well, rushing is out of the question," said Teddy.

"Maybe not," said Jacob, "all eyes are on Regina and Maleficent."

"Or, we can sneak closer and then rush them," said Victoire.

"You want to rush Maleficent?" Pete asked nervously, "she'll murder us all before we get close!"

"Don't be so sure," said Nikolai, "her powers are diminished in her host body. If we plan it right, we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Maybe take out Xehanort as well," said Jacob.

"Three birds is better than two," said Nessie.

"I'm more worried about our friends," said Pence, "Hayner, Olette and the others are still tied up."

"He's right," said Victoire, "we're so consumed by the need to destroy Karlaz, we've neglected our friends."

"We should rescue them first, then worry about Karlaz and the other baddies," said Gai.

"We can still try for both," said Nessie, "but I agree, we should focus on our friends first."

"Okay, we'll sneak closer, save our friends and try to take out the bad guys," said Pence.

"Hopefully without getting killed in the process," said Nikolai.

"Why are you having second thoughts?" Katarina asked.

"I'm not, you twat!" said Nikolai, "I'm just being reasonable. This can all still end in tears for all of us."

"I know," said Katarina.

"But that's never stopped us before," said Gai.

* * *

…**The Castle…**

"Are you sure you can find the shield generator?" Lady Tremaine asked as she, Gaston, Dio Brando and Sephiroth, followed Insano through the tunnels beneath the castle. The goggled lunatic held out a scanning device before him, homing in on a signal.

"My scanner can find even the most minute of energy signatures," said Insano, "both magical and non-magical. How does it work, you might ask? With SCIENCE of course!" he then laughed like the maniac he is.

Dio Brando then slapped Insano across the face, "get a hold of yourself, man! We have to find that generator and destroy it!"

"We won't be safe as long as that shield is up," said Sephiroth, "the sooner we can get away from Maleficent and Xehanort, the better for us."

"I'm beginning to think that this was a mistake," said Gaston.

"Do us all a favor and don't think," said Lady Tremaine.

"No, we shouldn't try to run away," said Gaston, "if we do, then Maleficent and Xehanort will run us down like dogs."

"Well, what do you expect us to do?" Dio Brando asked, "go back and beg for forgiveness?"

"I do not beg for anything!" snapped Gaston, "but we should go back and try to kill Maleficent and Xehanort ourselves."

"We can't do that," said Dio Brando, "they'll…"

"What's the worst they can do? Torture us? Kill us?" Gaston asked, "I'd risk that than spend the rest of eternity constantly looking over my shoulder."

"The idea of being on the run forever is…unpleasant," said Lady Tremaine.

"Then let's go back and end this," said Sephiroth.

"We could do that," said Insano, "but since we're less than fifty meters from where Ansem hid the shield generator, we might as well continue with our little mission."

"We're that close?" Dio Brando asked.

"It's just up ahead and to the left," said Insano.

"Well, we've come this far," said Lady Tremaine.

"Might as well go forward," said Sephiroth.

They eventually found a secret door in the tunnel wall. Insano used his PDA to unlock the door and they went inside. The chamber they found themselves in was enormous, understandably so since the power generator inside was several stories tall and wide.

"Now that's impressive," said Dio Brando.

"Ansem was never one to do things half measured," said Insano as he walked up to the magical generator ahead of them.

"Wait, before we do anything, how are we going to destroy the generator?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I happen to have several pounds of C4 in my pockets," said Insano.

"Why would you have C4 in your pockets?" Dio Brando asked.

"Just in case," said Insano. "Now, the question is where to place the explosives to best destroy the generator?"

"Leave that to me," said Sephiroth, "I've handled explosives before."

"So have I," said Dio Brando, "but I'm sure that between the two of us, we can bring this generator down to size.

"Indeed," said Sephiroth as Insnao handed them several blocks of C4 and they began placing them along the generator.

"Do they even know what they're doing?" Gaston asked.

"I just hope they don't blow us to Kingdom Come before they blow the generator to Kingdom Come," said Lady Tremaine.

* * *

…**The Enemy Base…**

"I fail to see the logic behind your rebellion, Regina," said Maleficent, "I have been one step ahead of you ever since I found you in that starship hospital, and you know it. How could you possibly have believed you could overthrow me!?"

All eyes, hero and villain, were on both Regina and Maleficent, as the two wicked women continued their dark debate.

"Did anticipate that I'd be outwitted? Yes," said Regina, "did I anticipate that you would counter my plans? Yes, albeit I failed to foresee such a simple trap spell you had in your cavern. I saw all these risks and took them. Why? Because I had hoped that I'd finally be rid of you."

"Hope!" Maleficent spat with contempt, "what use is hope than to bring false comfort where there should be only despair and anguish?"

"I hoped that I'd could do things better than you!" said Regina defiantly, "that I could take over the Realms of Light and succeed where you failed so often."

At that Maleficent laughed viciously, "you? Succeed where I failed? How pathetic! I have not failed, merely suffered setbacks."

"Oh please!" snapped Regina, "the number of setbacks you've suffered marks you as an utter failure in any book!"

"You dare insult the Mistress of all Evil!" exclaimed Maleficent.

"And that name, 'Mistress of all Evil,'" said Regina, "and I thought that Gothel had delusions of grandeur. You're the mistress of disgrace! That's what you are! And don't complain about being insulted, it's a waste of breath and energy."

"Well, then," said Maleficent as she struggled to contain her wrath, "if I am such a failure, what makes you so confident you'll succeed instead of me?"

"Several reasons," said Regina, "first and foremost; I know my limits."

"And what limits would that be?" Maleficent asked.

"I learned not to carry a grudge too far," said Regina, "there was a time when I was so obsessed with my own beauty that I ordered Snow White's heart cut out. I went to extreme lengths to kill her, even sacrificing my own beauty. Upon retrospect, I admit that that particular plan of mine was…flawed."

"An understatement no doubt," said Maleficent.

"Indeed," said Regina, "and so I spent a decade in St. Primrose's Hospital as a decrepit crone, broken in body and in mind. Yet with insanity comes clarity. I had to lose my mind to gain enlightenment."

"And what enlightenment would this be?" Xehanort asked.

"Yes, what makes you so such a wise woman?" Karlaz asked.

"I realized that seeking unattainable goals was foolish, irresponsible and downright suicidal," said Regina. "During my healing in the hospital, I read up on other dark souls who sought impossible goals; those who were obsessed with immortality, with acquiring more and more magic, insatiable greed and other desires, those who wished to rule all. In short, those whom bit off more than they could chew."

Regina looked at Xehanort, "you're obsessed with Kingdom Hearts, when it's clear that Kingdom Hearts is a power beyond your reach, no matter how many times you try to grasp it." She then looked at Karlaz, "your family seeks to dominate the universe, when it's clear that the universe is far too big for any one empire to conquer and control."

"Zangyack has no limits!" shouted Karlaz.

"And Kingdom Hearts will be mine!" said Xehanort.

"Keep dreaming," said Regina, "some dreams can come true, while others are just that, dreams."

"And what is your dream, Regina-chan?" Bosco asked.

"Not that I'll ever agree with you on anything, Bosco," said Captain Marvelous, "but I'm curious too."

"My dreams are reasonable enough," said Regina, "a handful of worlds to call my own, an army of loyal minions and enforcers bowing at my feet, enemies whom quail in fear at the mere mention of my name, a new magic mirror that will always say how beautiful I am. That's all, oh, and you're not in my dreams, Maleficent, not alive that is."

"And what of me?" Xehanort asked, "am I in your dreams?"

"No," said Regina flatly, "and before you ask, I have no desires on Kingdom Hearts, nor do I wish to continue the campaign of torment against Sora. That boy has met and overcame every challenge thrown against him, vanquishing countless Heartless, Nobodies, demons and assorted dark creatures and hearts. His friends are no better, or rather, no worse, depending on your point of view.

"Regardless, I know when to leave well enough alone. When I'm the supreme dark master in The Realms, I'll offer a truce to Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders; live and let live, at least until I come up with a plan that will destroy them without fail. Patience is my favorite virtue."

"An ambitious dream," said Xehanort, "yet foolhardy."

"You honestly believed that you can usurp me?" Maleficent asked.

"I still do," said Regina.

"And how will you do it?" Maleficent asked boldly, "your magic is no match for mine, even in my diminished capacity. Your allies are demoralized," she then looked around for Lady Tremaine, Gaston, Dio Brando, Insano and Sephiroth, "and apparently cowering in some hole, praying for deliverance from my wrath."

"They're not going anywhere as long as the shield is up," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"They'll be dealt with soon enough," said Karlaz.

"They may be on the run, but I still see value in them," said Regina, "where there is value, there is life."

"You shouldn't place value in such weaklings," said Karlaz, "the weak are meat and the strong doth eat."

"Keep thinking that and you will get such a case of indigestion," said Regina. She then looked at Maleficent, "but you didn't uncover every aspect of my little conspiracy."

"Oh? There's more?" Maleficent asked.

"Oh yes, much more," said Regina, "and there would have been even more had Karlaz not poked her oversized nose where it didn't belonged."

"What!?" exclaimed Karlaz in an outraged tone.

"_PetaQ_ whore!" exclaimed Uad'kexk, "Lady Karlaz's nose isn't oversized!"

"Every aspect of Lady Karlaz is perfect!" said Huvnario Yr.

"Even her more…quirky moments are embodiments of perfection!" said Janicia.

"Her nose matches her ego and delusions of grandeur," said Regina, "anyway, there would have been two additional members of my conspiracy, two more whom would have made my plan complete."

"Who then!" Maleficent demanded, "who were you going to bring in to try and destroy me!?"

"I would have asked Sora for an alliance when he came back," said Regina, "two groups of enemies joining forces to battle an greater evil. No doubt Sora and his friends would have refused me outright, and the time and effort needed to convince him otherwise would have made that part of the plan too risky. So, consider that part irrelevant."

"Then who is the last member of your traitorous cabal?!" Maleficent exclaimed, "name him!"

"How do you know it's not a her?" Uad'kexk asked.

"Oh, it's a man, alright," said Regina as she smiled wickedly, enjoying holding back the impending bombshell about to be dropped.

"Then who?!" Maleficent shouted, "name him!"

"Xehanort," said Regina in a matter of fact tone.

At that Maleficent was left dumbstruck for several seconds, "I…I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," said Regina, "the last member I wanted for the plan is Xehanort."

At that Xehanort laughed, despite the wrathful glare from Maleficent.

"I don't see how funny it is," said Joe.

"Oh, but it is," said Xehanort as he calmed down.

"Is it now?" Maleficent asked coldly, her voice dripping with murderous venom, "well then, be so kind as to explain the joke."

"Isn't it obvious?" Xehanort asked, "Regina is trying to turn us against each other. No doubt a part of her plan that she initiated long ago. We have been arguing for some time."

"Yes, we have been arguing," said Maleficent, "or maybe you're already a member of her cabal!"

"What? No!" exclaimed Xehanort, "that is an outright lie!"

"How long!?" Maleficent shouted as she walked closer to Xehanort, "how long were you a part of the conspiracy?! How long have you been plotting my downfall!?" Yet as she stalked towards the bald dark master, Maleficent failed to see Regina take something out of her pocket and grip it tightly in her fist.

"Never!" shouted Xehanort defiantly, "can't you see, woman?! Regina is manipulating you! She's manipulating both of us into destroying each other so she can take over!"

"You're doing that all by yourself, baldy!" said Luka.

"You will suffer for this, old man," said Maleficent, "but first," she then turned around to face Regina, only to find that Regina was less than a yard from her. Before Maleficent could react, Regina threw what was in her hand right at her. The object hit Maleficent right between the eyes and it burst into a small cloud of red powder that Maleficent inhaled involuntary, while Regina had summoned a gas mask and placed it over her face.

Maleficent bent over, coughing and spitting, trying to get the red powder out of her system.

"Oh, are you alright, Maleficent?" Regina asked in a tone that was heavy with mock concern, "allergies? Or are you coming down with a cold?"

"What…what was that!?" Maleficent gasped between coughs.

"If you need to ask," said Regina as she backed away and took off the gas mask, "then you truly are a failure. Didn't you notice the scent of that powder? I'll give you a hint; it's my favorite fruit."

"Apples," said Maleficent as she stood up again, only to lose her balance, realization dawning on her face as she nearly collapsed, "you…you poisoned me!" she then fell to her knees as the curse began to take hold.

"The same poison I tried on Snow White," said Regina as she smiled victoriously, "albeit in a much more convenient form. No doubt your own protective spells and enchantments would have detected any poisoned foods or beverages served, so I couldn't very well hand you an apple and tell you to eat it, no, you're too smart for that."

"So…you distracted me by…using my own paranoia," said Maleficent as she fought to stay awake yet was slowly but surely succumbing to the curse.

"And it worked," said Regina, "I played you like a harp from hell. You're going to be placed in living death, Maleficent, for this_ is_ the same curse I put on Snow White. The only thing that can break it is true love's kiss, and be honest, who in all of time and space would be in their right mind to want to kiss you? Even more so, who would ever love you?"

"Not me-zappa," said Dakkolaim.

"I wouldn't touch those lips with a ten-foot Precious," said Akyrot.

"I wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot anything," said Yadokarikeiri, while Sasogon and Devapioret shook their heads in agreement.

"It seems you're unanimously hated, Maleficent," said Regina, "so, any last words before you slip between life and death for all eternity?"

At that Maleficent began laughing coldly and cruelly, sending a chill up the spines of the captive heroes and most of the villains, save for Bosco, Karlaz and Xehanort.

"What's she laughing about?" Pence asked nervously as he, Gai, Pete, Nessie, Jacob, Victoire, Teddy, Nikolai and Katarina snuck around the enemy camp. They were inside the perimeter, having gotten past the few guards that weren't watching the confrontation within, and were only a few minutes away from reaching the captive heroes.

"Don't know," said a much more nervous Pete, "but whenever Maleficent's laughing, it ain't good."

"We'd better hurry then," said Gai, "the sooner we get to our friends and get them out of here, the better."

"What about taking out Karlaz?" Katarina asked.

"I'm more afraid of what Regina's got planned next," said Nessie.

"I don't want to sound like a coward," said Victoire, "but the sooner we're all back in the castle, safe and sound, the better for all of us."

"You won't get any argument from me," said Teddy.

"We still need to figure out how to get our friends out of this mess," said Nikolai, "hopefully without being detected and executed like criminals."

"Oh, and I'm sure you've got a bright idea on how to do it, Mister Smarty Pants," said Katarina irately.

"As a matter of fact," said Nikolai as he straightened his glasses, "I do."

* * *

"What could possibly be so funny?" Regina demanded.

"You…you are indeed a fool, Regina," said Maleficent as she nearly fell over but managed to remain up on her knees, glaring defiantly at the former evil queen, "you still think that you are the superior one."

"I AM SUPERIOR!" Regina exclaimed at the top of her lungs, "I've beaten you, damn it! I don't know how or why you're still conscious and coherent, but you're wasting what little time you've got left. I estimate that you'll be utterly spent in less than sixty seconds."

"Then I'd better make my point," said Maleficent as she struggled to her feet, causing Regina to flinch and step back a few paces, "you may have delivered your curse…but…it is only my host whom will be caught between life and death, where as my core essence shall find a new body, a better body, one more powerful than before.

"And how will you do that?" Regina asked as she regained her composure, "you're trapped here inside the shield! As soon as your body is spent, I'll smash that green stone that is your soul and you'll be extinct once and for all!"

"You might do that," said Maleficent as she began to sway about, her eyes barely open, "but there's one thing you never considered in all of your plans."

"And what would that be?" Regina asked.

"You're not the only one who uses magic beans," said Maleficent as she reached into her pocket, "Now, my pet! Now!"

From a concealed position on Karlaz's shuttle, Maleficent's raven took flight and soared towards his mistress. At the same time, Maleficent withdrew her hand from her pocket and threw into the air a magic bean. As the vortex began to form, Maleficent grabbed the green stone, undid the necklace clasp and threw it towards her raven. The bird caught it in his claws and flew towards the vortex, just as Penny Dubois collapsed to the ground.

"No!" shouted Regina as she shot a killing curse at the raven, but it dodged the spell and entered the vortex, which closed up after the black-feathered bird.

"NO!" exclaimed Regina, "I was so close! Damn you, Maleficent! Damn you to a hell deeper than Hell! Damn you!"

"Well, that was quite a thrill," said Xehanort.

"Don't start with me, old man!" snapped Regina, her eyes glaring death at Xehanort, "I'm mad enough to strangle you on general principal. Now, if I could just find Tremaine and the rest of those idiots, we can go back to Castle Oblivion and consolidate my new dominion."

"I think not," said Xehanort coldly as he walked up to Regina, "you may have driven Maleficent away, but you still have me to deal with. Castle Oblivion is mine."

"We'll see about that," said Regina as she walked towards Xehanort, the two of them stopping less than a yard from each other.

"Oh for crying out loud," said Karlaz as she walked up to Regina and Xehanort, "you two and your frivolous arguments. You've lost track of the bigger picture."

"And that would be?" Regina asked as she and Xehanort kept their eyes balefully on each other, not daring to blink in case they decided to pull a fast one on each other.

"Me, you silly gooses," said Karlaz in a giggling tone, "we've got to finish my conquest of Radiant Garden. And we'll pick up right where we left off before this little drama started," she then paused in thought, "now, where exactly was that? Oh, right, I was rejected by Marvelous."

"I could have told you that Marvey-chan was no good for you," said Bosco.

"Save your breath, _petaQ_!" said Uad'kexk.

"Lady Karlaz isn't interested in you," said Janicia, "not now, not ever."

"On the contrary, dear Janicia," said Karlaz in a playful tone, "Bosco may just be the consort I've been looking for," she then turned back to look at the captive heroes, "wouldn't you agree, Marvelous?" But then Karlaz blinked in confusion, "what…what is this!?"

All eyes now turned towards the captive heroes, yet where Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and the others sat bound and restrained, there were now several wooden dummies sitting in the chairs, some of them with painted faces making rude expressions, while others hand their arms and hands positioned to make rude gestures.

"I see it but I don't believe it," said an astonished Uad'kexk.

"Inconceivable!" exclaimed Huvnario Yr, "they couldn't have escaped without our noticing! It is utterly and irrevocably inconceivable!"

"How did they do it?!" Vokan asked.

"They must have had help," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"Is it that obvious?" Janicia asked irately.

"Lady Karlaz!" exclaimed Devapioret, "what do we do?"

"Lady Karlaz, please, give us orders!" said Akyrot.

"Send us after them!" exclaimed Sasogon, "let us crush them! Crush Them! CRUSH THEM!"

"We'll be ready for them this time-zappa!" said Dakkolaim.

"Lady Karlaz?" Yadokarikeiri asked.

Yet Karlaz was standing there, a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"I think she's broken," said Bosco.

"Shut up, _petaQ_!" snapped Uad'kexk, "it's clear that Lady Karlaz just needs a rest."

"She's been working harder than the rest of us put together," said Huvnario Yr "a few minutes off her feet and she'll be right as rain again." With that the cyborg majordomo, Janicia and Uad'kexk, escorted Karlaz into her ship, along with an honor guard of Gormin and Sugormin.

"Well, now," said Xehanort, "what now?"

"I'll tell you what now, old man!" snapped Vokan, "we march on the city and raze it and the castle to the ground! These infidels think they can make fools of Lady Karlaz? They thought wrong!" He then turned towards the five Action Commanders, "raise more of your respective minions! Use every pellet in stock! I want an army that will crush any hope of resistance!" With that Akyrot and his fellow Action Commanders saluted.

"I still can't figure out how those foolish heroes escaped," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "I just know this will bother me for many days and keep me up many nights."

"It's quite simple how they did it," said Regina, "with magic, of course."

* * *

…**The Castle…**

"How did you do it, Nikolai?" Pence asked as he and the rest of Team Silver sat outside the makeshift infirmary, where Captain Marvelous and the others were being treated for their wounds.

"I've explained it several times already," said Nikolai in an annoyed and somewhat tired tone, "once we were close enough to the prisoners, initiated a wide-range unlocking spell that released our friends from the restraining chairs. After that, a wide-range cutting spell severed their bonds and another wide-range spell, this one a combination teleportation/replacement spell that switched our recently released friends with wooden dummies and brought us all back here to relative safety."

"Define relative," said Victoire.

"Well, I'll be blunt," said Nikolai, "how many times today has the enemy infiltrated this instillation?"

"We've plugged up the tunnels they've been using," said Nessie, "and Quistis has set the town defenses to maximum around the castle."

"She told us when we got back that nothing could get in," said Jacob.

"Forgive me for remaining dubious," said Nikolai.

"You okay?" Katarina asked, "you don't look so good."

"Your concern is noteworthy," said Nikolai, "as it is, I used up a considerable amount of my magical energies casting three wide-range spells one after another. It will be some time before my powers are recharged. Until then, I'm as useless as an empty paint can, so is it possible that that oh so minute intelligence of yours can understand why I am in such a foul mood!?"

"Yes, I do get it," said Katarina irately, "you're tired, so you're pissed. And you're not useless, and certainly not an empty paint can. You can always fill it with more paint, and you can wash it first and fill it with a different color."

"And you can throw the can at the enemy," said Nessie, "or use it to bash a head in."

"Or just rest up," said Victoire, "you did a fantastic job and have earned some down time."

"In the meantime, we'd better get ready," said Teddy.

"For what?" Pence asked.

"For when Karlaz sends everything she's got to finish us off for good," said Quistis as she walked in, followed by Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc and Ahim. The five space pirates had had their wounds bandaged and were looked ready to fight again.

"Captain! Everyone!" said Gai eagerly.

"Are you sure you guys should be up and about already?" Victoire asked, "you lot took a rather unpleasant thrashing."

"We've had worse," said Luka in an offhand tone.

"When you're a part of a Super Sentai," said Joe, "you adapt to rough treatment."

"Akashi, Ran, Hanto, Ryunouske and Eri will be back on their feet pretty soon," said Doc.

"And the others are recovering as well," said Ahim.

Just then King Mickey, whom was also bandaged, came in with Pete, whom looked both relieved and frightened at the same time.

"What you just told me, Pete, changes everything," said The King, "with Maleficent driven away and Regina trying to take charge…"

"I'm still getting over the fact that Maleficent was defeated that way," said Pete, "I mean, poison powder? How could she have fallen for that?"

"Because she's not as smart as she thinks," said Quistis, "Regina on the other hand, she's a crafty one. If she's now leading the enemy cabal, then we'll have to rethink our strategies."

"You mean we'll end up arguing over what to do all over again?" Jacob asked.

"I don't think so," said Nessie, "I'm sick of everyone shouting at each other."

"Me too," said Victoire, "I have a radical suggestion. Being that we are the only two Princesses of Heart still on our feet, we should decide how best to defend the Realms of Light."

"Excuse me," said Violet as she walked up to the group, "but I'm still here, and I haven't done any fighting yet."

"Okay, three of us," said Nessie, "I say we adopt the plan of building defensive satellites and a fleet of warships, at least draw up some schematics that are both functional and economically viable."

"What about Scrooge McDuck and the rest of the naysayer group?" Victoire asked.

"We'll tell them that we're the only ones still able to make the decision," said Violet. She then looked at King Mickey, "that's assuming that you're not up to casting a vote."

"I do kinda have a headache," said King Mickey.

"I think I'm coming down with a cold," said Teddy. He then faked a sneeze.

"I'm not feeling too hot myself," said Jacob.

"Hey, I'll go along with whatever you three decide," said Pence.

"Same here," said Quistis, "it's about time someone actually got around to making a decision."

"You sure about that?" Leon asked as he walked in with a large bandage on his forehead.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Quistis asked, "the healers said you had a concussion."

"I'll sleep when the crisis is over," said Leon.

"Which we'll get to in a second," said Nessie. She then looked at Victoire and Violet, "okay, all in favor of adopting the defensive plan, raise their right hand."

With that, Nessie, Violet and Victoire raised their right hands.

"Unanimous," said Violet as she, Victoire and Nessie lowered their hands, "democracy does work."

"We'll worry about the money when we're not in immediate danger of being overrun by Zangyack," said Victoire.

Just then Quistis' PDA beeped with a message that flashed a red 'ALERT!' sign.

"Now what?" Leon asked.

"The shield generator security protocols," said Quistis as she read the message, "one of the silent alarms has been tripped! There's someone in the generator room!"

"That's not possible!" said Ansem as he walked up to the group, his own PDA flashing the same warning message, "the inner alarms for the generator room couldn't have been tripped without the outside alarms going off first! Oh, Gai? Merlin wishes to speak with you."

"With me?" Gai asked, "what's the problem?"

"None that I am aware of," said Ansem, "he, along with Yen Sid, Sylvia, Lara and Fairy Godmother, wish to have a word with you in the third floor study, that's all."

"Go," Quistis insisted, "we'll handle the rest."

"Get going, Gai," said Captain Marvelous, "it ain't wise to keep magic users waiting."

"Right," said Gai, "catch you all later." With that he hurried for the nearest staircase.

"Okay, where were we?" Quistis asked.

"I was saying that the security protocols for the generator room couldn't have been breached so effectively without the alarms going off first," said Ansem.

"You sure about that?" Violet asked, "with all the stuff that's been going wrong today, it wouldn't surprise me that this is just a glitch in the system."

"It's no glitch," said Quistis, "somehow, the enemy got inside and disabled nearly all the alarms on the shield generator."

"Again, impossible," said Ansem, "there is no way that all of them could have been deactivated…unless," he paused in thought, a thought that turned him pale with fear, "unless my nemesis has returned."

"Insano!" said Quistis as she took out her chain whip, "that does it! I'm ending that madman here and now!" She then looked at Violet, Nessie, Jacob, Victoire, Teddy, Pence, Pete and Katarina, "you, come with me," she then looked at Ansem, "you too, old bear." She then looked at King Mickey, Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc, Ahim and Leon, "the rest of you, get back to bed and heal, before I tie you all down and hot glue you to your cots! Now move! All of you!"

"YES MA'AM!" said the assembled heroes, both in and out of commission.

* * *

…**The Shield Generator Room…**

"Wait a moment," said Gaston irately as he, Lady Tremaine and Insano watched Dio Brando and Sephiroth place the last of the C4 on the generator, "I could have used my power to destroy the generator! I could have satisfied my needs and solved our mutual problem at the same time! In fact, I can still do that now!" he then raised his hands to shoot his destruction beam.

"No, you fool!" exclaimed Insano, "would you kindly lower your hands and go sit in the corner!?"

Forced to obey, Gaston lowered his arms, walked to the nearest corner and sat down. He then glared hatefully at Insano, "someday, madman, someday I will kill you!"

"Until then you'd best learn to think before reacting," said Insano, "had you used your ray-gun hands in here, you would have blown us all to smithereens!"

"How?" Dio Brando asked, "way I figure it, he could have zapped the generator into ashes and saved us a lot of effort placing the C4."

"His power would have detonated the explosives as well," said Sephiroth.

"And amplified the explosive yield," said Insano, "besides, that generator runs on magic that would have reacted badly with his power. The end result would have been a catastrophic conflagration that would have sent us into orbit, if we were lucky enough not to be incinerated."

"That's a good enough reason for me," said Dio Brando, "so, how do we blow the dome?"

"The packets of C4 each have their own remote receiver linked to a remote detonator," said Insano, "a rather brilliant idea of my own if I may say so."

"Yeah, real smart," said Dio Brando, "so, where's the detonator?"

"Detonator?" Insano asked, "oh, of course," he then reached into his pocket, "can't blow up explosives without a detonator, now can we? Now, where did I put that detonator?" he reached deeper into his pockets, becoming increasingly more worried as his search remained fruitless.

"Don't tell me you forgot the detonator," said Sephiroth in an irate tone.

"I did not!" said an annoyed Insano, "I…I just can't seem to remember where I put it."

"Well, lucky for us!" said Quistis as she, Ansem, Violet Nessie, Jacob, Victoire, Teddy, Pence, Pete and Katarina, rushed into the room.

"It's over, Insano!" exclaimed Ansem.

"Well, well, well," said Insano, "if it isn't my former jailor. Enjoying your golden years? Settled on a retirement home yet?"

"I have no intention of retirement," said Ansem, "not so long as there are monsters such as you on the lose?"

"What about me?" Dio Brando asked as he cracked his knuckles, while Sephiroth gripped the handle of Masamune, "what kind of monster am I?"

"The worst kind," said Katarina, "the kind that isn't fun to play with."

"Insolent Hakonian child!" snapped Lady Tremaine, "go home and play with your dolls."

"I stopped playing with dolls when I was 5," said Katarina, "when my mommy gave me my first weight machine."

"And you've been working out since?" Pence asked, "how…old are you?"

"Don't ask a girl her age!" said an annoyed Nessie.

"It's alright," said Katarina, "I'm not ashamed to say that I'll be sixty next month."

"Sixty?" Victoire asked in an amazed tone, "what's your secret?"

"Good diet, good health and genetics," said Katarina, "and more things that I don't understand."

"I'm afraid you won't live to see your birthday," said Insano, "or any other days for that matter!" He then raised his gloved hands to zap Katarina, only for Pete to rush at him.

"CHARGE!" he shouted as he tackled Insano and pinned the goggled lunatic to the floor with his bulk.

"Get off of me, you obese fur ball!" Insano shouted.

"Hey! I get enough grief about my weight from the wife!" said Pete, "so don't call me fat!"

"Then stop eating," said Gaston as he got up and aimed his hands at Pete and Insano, "welcome to oblivion!"

But Jacob rushed in and punched Gaston in the face, causing his destruction beams to misfire and hit the shield generator, vaporizing one specific component.

"Huh, it didn't explode," said Insano, "interesting," he then glared up at Pete, "now get off of me, you lumbering lummox!" He then grabbed Pete's leg and inflicted a finger beam shock that sent the big cat several feet into the air, yelling in pain. Insano rolled out of the way before Pete came crashing to the ground.

"My leg!" shouted Pete as he clutched his assaulted limb, "my leg!"

"Oh give it a rest, Fluffy," said Katarina as she helped Pete stand up, "you're not that hurt."

"Huh," said an astonished Pete as he found that he could stand, "okay, that's great."

Just then the generator began to crackle with blue energy and emit steam at various points.

"Holy Crap!" exclaimed Dio Brando, "it's gonna blow!"

"Gaston, you imbecile!" shouted Lady Tremaine.

Ansem rushed to a computer consol at the generator and began furiously typing, the data screen showing multiple 'WARNING' screens. "The primary coolant manifold was destroyed and several coolant lines were fused. The generator is overheating!"

"What can be done?" Quistis asked.

"Nothing," said Ansem as he continued to type, "save shutting the generator down. I'm sorry, everyone, but it's either that or allow it to explode and take the castle with it." After a few more seconds, the generator shut down, emitting more steam.

"It's done," said Ansem in a defeated tone, "the shield is down."

"In that case, we'll take our leave," said Sephiroth as he summoned a Dark Corridor that remained open.

"If you see Maleficent, tell her she can kiss our collective asses," said Dio Brando as he, Lady Tremaine, Gaston, Insano and Sephiroth, prepared to walk into the Dark Corridor.

"You's don't have to worry 'bout Maleficent," said Pete, "she's gone."

"I beg your pardon?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"Regina made her run away, sort of," said Katarina.

"Regina's dead," said Sephiroth, "Maleficent said she killed her."

"And you believed her," said Katarina, "you guys are dumber than dumb."

"Regina faked her death so she could get the drop on Maleficent," said Jacob, "the old bitch was poisoned and her raven took that green stone of hers and flew away."

"Then…Maleficent is defeated?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"In that case," said Sephiroth as he closed the Dark Corridor, "let's go rejoin our dark lady in arms." with that he, Dio Brando, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Insano teleported out.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," said Pence.

"It will also lead up to a greater and more dark climax," said Ansem as he looked at the data screen for the generator computer, "I cannot star the shield generator up again. It would take days to repair the damage."

"In the meantime Karlaz can send down all the warships she wants and steamroll us into oblivion," said Victoire in a defeated tone.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Violet, "we're not finished yet."

"Don't even think about it!" said Nessie.

"Think about what?" Violet asked.

"About using your powers to shield the planet," said Nessie.

"How'd you know that?" Violet asked.

"Are you able to read minds now like your dad?" Pence asked.

"What am I thinking about?" Jacob asked.

"About me, duh!" said Nessie, "no, I haven't acquired telepathy like my father, though I wish I was that cool. But I did guess that Violet wanted to put her shield around the world."

"You can't do that!" said Ansem to Violet, "you'd collapse from the strain!"

"At least I'd be doing something!" said Violet, "besides giving up!"

"We're not giving up," said Quistis, "not by a long shot. Everyone upstairs, now!"

* * *

…**The Enemy Camp…**

"Oh, so you lot are still here," said Regina to Insano, Dio Brando, Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine and Gaston.

"And you've got more lives than a cat," said Dio Brando.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," said Lady Tremaine, "Maleficent has been defeated."

"Defeated, but not destroyed," said Regina. She then looked to the side where Penny Dubois' body had been placed on a cot, "that one is better off where she is. As for Maleficent, no doubt her twisted soul has retreated to a prepared redoubt where in time, she shall regain her strength once again. After that, she'll do everything in her power to destroy me, and the rest of us of course. But that's for later."

"And what of Xehanort?" Insano asked, "how is old baldy taking this?"

"Where is Xehanort?" Sephiroth asked as he looked around.

"That's a good question," said Regina.

"And where's Karlaz?" Gaston asked, "and what's with all the mooks?"

Indeed, the area around the pavilion was swarming with Combatant Karths, Rinsis, Ugatz's, Nanashi and Bibi Soldiers.

"Another good question," said Regina, "after Maleficent's departure and the escape of the prisoners, Karlaz had…an episode."

"You mean she went berserk?" Dio Brando asked, "I'm not surprised."

"I mean she became catatonic and had to be put to bed, or so I believe," said Regina.

"It doesn't matter," said Sephiroth, "now that the shield is down, we can withdraw to Castle Oblivion and consolidate our position."

"The shield is down?" Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo asked as he, Uad'kexk and Xehanort walked over.

"You five have been busy," said Xehanort. He then gave Gaston, Lady Tremaine, Insano, Dio Brando and Sephiroth a look of cold anger, "we shall have a serious discussion when we return to Castle Oblivion to consolidate my position, without Maleficent of course."

"Never mind that!" exclaimed Uad'kexk, "the shield is down. Lady Karlaz must be informed!"

"I already know," said Karlaz as she, Huvnario Yr, Janicia and Vokan walked up, followed by Bosco and the Action Commanders, "and I'm glad, oh so glad." her eyes then blazed with mad glee, "because now I get to completely ruin this world with my anger! Vokan! Signal the armada to enter the atmosphere! I want ever trace of human civilization on this world atomized!"

"At once, Lady Karlaz," said Vokan. He then signaled to a pair of Gormin, whom brought over a portable communication terminal.

"Ah…are you alright?" a slightly unnerved Regina asked, "you had a bit of an episode earlier."

"I'm perfectly fine," said Karlaz, "couldn't be better. Everything is going according to plan."

"Would you care to enlighten us as to the nature of your plan?" Sephiroth asked, "for us ignorant savages," he spoke that statement with much sarcasm that only slightly concealed his confusion.

"It's quite simple," said Karlaz in an overly cheerful tone, "a child could have seen it. I knew all along that Marvelous was going to reject me. In fact, I hoped he would."

"But you kissed him!" said Gaston in an exasperated tone, "you said he was your ideal man!"

"A little white lie to get his goat," said Karlaz, "as if I would ever consent to sharing my bed with that filthy, flea-ridden space pirate!"

"I suppose you allowed the heroes to escape as well," said Regina sarcastically.

"Indeed I did," said Karlaz in a smug tone.

"You're joking," said a dumbfounded Regina.

"I am not," said Karlaz, "it was all part of the plan."

"What? Catch and release?" Gaston asked.

"Yes," said Karlaz, "and you lot played your part magnificently."

"I…what?" Dio Brando asked, "what? No! We weren't part of your plan!"

"The hell we were!" said Insano, while Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine and Gaston shook their heads, "and they say I am mad."

"How nice for both of you," said Karlaz, "And you were part of my plan. You see, I also knew that Maleficent was on to your little conspiracy, so I manipulated you all into believing that Regina was dead, then distracted Maleficent with that little show I put on with Marvelous. While everyone was watching the drama, I had you five go to the castle and destroy the shield generator. Now everything's coming into place for my grand triumph!"

"Superb, Lady Karlaz!" exclaimed a joyful Janicia.

"Truly your foresight and wisdom knows no bounds, Lady Karlaz!" said Huvnario Yr.

"Now I know you're mad!" exclaimed Lady Tremaine, "I just had to be sure!"

"And you lot are idiots for following her!" said Gaston.

"Infidel _petaQ_!" exclaimed Uad'kexk, "you shall pay for your insolence!"

"Oh, let them badmouth me," said Karlaz in a nonchalant tone, "let them get it all out of their systems. When I'm on the throne, insulting me will be a far greater crime."

"This is true, Lady Karlaz," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

Just then Vokan returned to the group, "Lady Karlaz! The armada awaits your order to attack!"

"The order is given, Vokan!" said Karlaz, "annihilate all those who stand against us!"

* * *

…**The Postern…**

Team Silver, Quistis, Ansem, as well as Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc and Ahim, hurried outside and to their horror, saw first one Zangyack warship enter the lower atmosphere, followed by another and another.

"Okay, we're officially screwed," said Pence.

"Anybody have any tricks up their sleeves, now's the time," said Captain Marvelous.

"Sorry, man," said Jacob, "fresh out of tricks."

"And our sleeves aren't looking too good either," said Teddy.

"Wait a second, shouldn't there be way more Zangyack warships?" Katarina asked.

"That's right," said Pete, "we passed, like a gazillion of them on the way here and only a few are coming."

True enough, only a handful of warships had entered the atmosphere, with the last one trailing smoke from its engines.

"Look!" said Luka as she spotted something higher. Everyone looked up and saw several balls of white fire shooting down like meteorites, while a handful of Zangyack ships hurtled uncontrollably to a crash landing far out in the crystal wastes.

"What the hell is going on up there?" Quistis asked.

Just then Ansem's PDA beeped and Aerith's voice could be heard from it, "Ansem! You'd better get to the computer room! You've got to see this to believe it!"

* * *

…**The Enemy Camp…**

"What the bloody hell is going on up there!?" exclaimed Karlaz as she looked up at the handful of warships entering the atmosphere, while more and more crashed into the crystal wastes and more white meteorites blazed across the sky before burning out before they landed.

"This is impossible!" exclaimed Vokan as he read a report, while the Gormin whom handed it to him cowered nearby, anticipating a harsh outburst.

"What's impossible?" Regina asked.

"What is it, Vokan?" Karlaz asked, "why isn't my armada swarming the skies and pummeling the foolish heroes into oblivion!? Well? Tell me!"

"My Lady," said Vokan in a nervous tone, "the armada, it is under attack."

"Under attack?" Sephiroth asked.

"What's this now?" Lady Tremaine asked

"Vokan, did I hear you right?" Karlaz asked in a calm tone, "did you just tell me that my armada is being attacked? From space, am I to assume?"

"Yes, Lady Karlaz," said Vokan, "and the attackers are wining."

Without warning, Karlaz leapt and tackled Vokan to the ground and began strangling him, though her efforts seemed unaffected against the armored general. "What the hell do you mean the attackers are winning!?" she demanded, only for Janicia, Uad'kexk and Huvnario Yr to pull her off of Vokan, "who dares to attack my armada! Who, damn you! WHO!?"

* * *

…**Ansem's Study…**

"Who's attacking the Zangyack fleet?" Dock asked as he, his fellow Space Pirates, the rest of Team Silver, Quistis, Aerith and Ansem, stood in front of Tron's computer, watching a tactical display of the battle unfolding in space. The Zangyack warships occupied an enormous area of space above Radiant Garden, but several groups of unidentified warships had engaged the Zangyack forces from multiple directions and were inflicting massive casualties.

"I don't know," said Aerith, "but they're my new best friends."

Just then Leon, Nikolai and King Mickey ran into the room, "we heard that the shield is down!" said King Mickey.

"Well, it's not as bad as you might think," said Quistis as she indicated the tactical display.

"Who are those guys?" Hayner asked as he, Olette, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie and Yuffie, ran into the room.

"Should you be out of bed?" Pence asked.

"We're all feeling much better," said Selphie, "and I mean all of us."

"Nearly everyone's back on their feet and ready to fight," said Tidus, "Beast is out of his coma and Tarzan's leg should be fixed soon."

"They even put Jack Skellington back together and he's up and about," said Wakka, "Aladdin's still on his back, though, and Jack Sparrow's still dead to the world."

"I'm not surprised," said Nessie, while Pence shook his head in agreement.

"So, who flew to our rescue?" Yuffie asked.

"I think I know," said Nikolai in a suspicious tone, "and if I am right, which I am of course, we should be receiving a call any second now."

Just then Tron spoke from the computer, "Incoming transmission! Audio only."

"Put it through," said Ansem.

"Attention, Radiant Garden," said a familiar voice from the other end of the signal, "this is the New Zumakalis gummy battleship _Night Force_ calling."

"Reddik, you splotched bastard!" exclaimed Nikolai, "what in the seven hells took you so long!?"

"Nice to know you're still alive, Nikolai," said Reddik, "and we would have been here sooner, but someone insisted that we upgrade the weapons and shields on our new gummy ships."

"You saw the sheer numbers Zangyack has," said a familiar girl's voice, "you think standard weapons and shields could stand against that?"

"Hi, Rakel!" said Katarina happily, "when's the wedding?"

"We haven't decided on a date yet," said Reddik, "and how did you know that I proposed?"

"I have my sources," Katarina said smugly.

"You two are gettin' hitched?" a surprised Pete asked.

"Reddik popped the question just before you, Nikolai and Katarina left," said Rakel.

"Hold on a second," said King Mickey, "why do you guys have a gummy battleship?"

"When did you guys build them?" Donald demanded as he and Goofy walked into the room.

"It's starting to get crowded in here," said Ahim in a slightly uncomfortable tone.

"Next thing you know, someone would have ordered ramen takeout," said Joe.

Reddik spoke next, "We've been building them with magic and advanced science from the old empire. How do you think we managed to beat The Daleks and all of our old enemies? Anyway, we started construction when Pete told us about the Grand Conclave"

"Shame on you, your majesty," said Rakel, "for not inviting us. The new Zumakali are in The Realms of Light and we are in as much danger from the forces of darkness as anyone else."

"Hey, why didn't you invite them to the meeting?" Pete asked King Mickey.

"Uh…yeah, sorry," said King Mickey as he nervously laughed, "I guess I forgot."

"We'll forgive you this time," said Rakel, "anyway, we have an entire fleet: three carriers with escort fighters and fighter bombers, two battleships, six cruisers and twelve destroyers, all outfitted with the best magically enhanced weapons and shields our scientists and mages could come up with."

"But how are you crewing them?" Hayner asked, "I thought there were only a few thousands of you left."

"Thanks for reminding us how close to extinction our people are," said Nikolai.

"I know how few of us there are," said Reddik, "first of all, our new ships aren't that big; they have the most power packed into the least possible mass."

"And they don't need that much of a crew," said Rakel, "just a handful to maintain the computer systems. Oh, before I forget. Pete? Goofy? There's some people here who want to talk to you."

"To us?" Goofy asked.

"Hi, dad!" said a teenaged boy from the other end of the signal.

"Max? Maxie?!" exclaimed Goofy, "son! What're you doing on a Zumak ship!?"

"I invited him," said another teenaged boy.

"P.J.!?" exclaimed Pete, "what're yous doing?! When yer mom hears about this, she'll skin me alive!"

"Peg already knows, Pete," said Rakel, "I had a bitch of a time convincing her to let your son come with us, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Actually, he's a stowaway," said Reddik, "Max too."

"Uh…well," said both P.J. and Max.

"Oh, you two are in so much trouble!" said Katarina eagerly.

"Reddik! Rakel!" said Pete irately, "turn that boat around right now and take my son back to his mother!"

"Sorry, Pete, we're fully engaged with the enemy," said Reddik.

"I don't even want to think about that kind of wedding," said Luka.

"I'm sorry, Pete," said Rakel, "but we're past the point of no return. But relax, you too, Goofy. Our flagship, _Night Force_, has the best shields ever. I'll wager my engagement ring that we wipe out that Zangyack fleet without getting even a scratch."

"Just be careful!" said Goofy in a worried tone, "Max, you…"

"It's going to be alright, Dad," said Max, "I'm be alright."

"We'll be more than alright," said P.J., "When this is over, Max and me, we're joining SeeD!"

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Pete.

"I don't suppose your mother knows about that, does she?" King Mickey asked.

"Oh, sure she knows," said Rakel, "Peg was totally behind his decision."

"Actually, that's why he and Max stowed away," said Reddik.

"Oh, way to spoil things," said Rakel.

"That's it, I'm dead," said Pete in a defeated tone as he sat down on the floor, "the wife's gonna kill me."

"Just hold on, Dad," said P.J., "we'll be there soon."

"See you too, Dad," said Max. With that the transmission ended.

"Nice people, you Zumakali," said Joe to Nikolai.

"You should have seen us thousands of years ago," said Nikolai, "when we were the dark lords of the universe. Not even The Daleks could defeat us."

"Well, I guess that solves the problem of where we'll get the warships for the defensive plan," said Violet.

"That's right, we can borrow some from Zumakalis!" said Victoire.

"Or arrange a construction contract," said Nessie, "I'm sure a reasonable price can be arranged."

"Let's vote on it then," said Victoire, "all in favor of forming a warship contract with Zumakalis, and the defensive satellites as well, raise your right hand." With that she, Nessie and Violet raised their hands.

"Motion carried and passed," said Violet. She then looked at King Mickey, "unless there are any objections."

"None with me," said The King, "I'm just glad that someone finally decided to work this out reasonably."

"But what about the money?" Goofy asked.

"I just know that Uncle Scrooge is gonna rip his feathers out when he hears about this," said Donald.

"I'll talk to Scrooge McDuck when things calm down," said King Mickey, "but right now we've got to finish this with Karlaz."

"When she finds out that her fleet is being blown to bits," said Doc, "she'll be mad enough to chew through her own limbs."

"She's mad enough to do that already," said Jacob.

"We'd better get ready for whatever she throws at us next," said Leon.

"With Karlaz, expect the unexpected," said Captain Marvelous.

* * *

…**The Enemy Base…**

"Only a handful of warships have safely entered the atmosphere," said Vokan in a raspy tone as he read another report, "the rest of the armada is still fighting and losing against the Zumakali."

"Okay, time to start packing," said Dio Brando.

"It was nice to pay a visit to Radiant Garden and make some of our enemies suffer," said Lady Tremaine, "but I believe the time to leave has come."

"You're not going anywhere," said Karlaz as she held a glass of wine in her hands, downed it and had it refilled by a Gormin, while Janicia, Huvnario Yr and Uad'kexk stood nearby with worried expressions, "no one is going anywhere until Radiant Garden is either conquered or destroyed."

"My Lady," said the cyborg majordomo, "perhaps it would be wise to count our losses and retreat while we still can."

"Each ship within the armada is equipped with an emergency dimensional shifter," said Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "one of my own inventions. We can use them to return to our native dimension."

"He speaks logically, my lady," said Huvanario Yr, "Logic dictates that…"

"To hell with logic!" snapped Karlaz, "we're not leaving until the campaign is complete!"

"You ignorant little psychotic bitch!" snapped Regina, "can't you see it's over?! Maleficent may have been too prideful to see reason, but you're just a spoiled, irrational little twerp whom can't get out of her father's shadow."

Without warning, Karlaz rushed at Regina, drew her sword and swung it at Regina's neck. The blade connected with a set of shield spells the former evil queen had prepared, saving her head from being cut off, but the force of the blade impact was enough to knock her to the ground and leave a decent sized bruise on her neck.

"Say one more word about my father and no magic will save your life!" said Karlaz as she held the point of her sword at Regina's face, right between the eyes, "do I make myself clear?!"

"Crystal," said Regina in a slightly raspy tone as she held her hand to her bruised neck.

"Splendid," said a happily smiling Karlaz as she sheathed her sword and turned her back on Regina. She then addressed her inner circle, "prepare the Tohgormin. I want them equipped with high explosives, while the warships that have landed shall offload their Gormin and Sugormin. The ships are also to be loaded with high explosives."

"Forgive my ignorance, Lady Karlaz," said Vokan, "but…"

"What am I planning with all those warriors and ships loaded with bombs?" Karlaz asked, "isn't it obvious? I'm going to have them charge into the town and the castle, where they shall detonate the bombs and wipe out all those whom dared to oppose me."

"A _kamikaze_ attack?" Sephiroth asked.

"My Lady Karlaz," said Huvnario Yr, "we do not have enough explosives for all the ships and Tohgormin. And even if we did, it would be ill advised to use them in that way."

"YOU DARE QUESTION YOUR FUTURE EMPRESS!?" Karlaz shouted, "because if you are," she gripped her sword handle, ready to draw it at the slightest further provocation, "then I'll be in the market for a new majordomo."

"Oh for the love of darkness!" exclaimed Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo, "this has gone on far enough!"

"Be quiet, you fool!" snapped Janicia.

"No!" said the insect scientist irately, "I will not be silenced. I've held my proboscis for far too long," he then looked at Karlaz, "Lady Karlaz, you are a sick, sick woman in dire need of psychiatric help, and medication, lots of medication at that."

"Idiot!" snapped Uad'kexk, "get on your knees and beg for forgiveness while you still have the chance!"

"And allow this lunatic to lead us all and the empire to ruin? I think not!" said the irate insect scientist, "we should abandon this campaign before we're all destroyed! Lady Karlaz, you have six powers from the Princesses of Heart. We should retreat back to Zangyack territory, regroup and formulate a stratagem on capturing Kairi, not wasting valuable resources in a pointless exercise of futility!"

Without warning, Karlaz's sword flashed from its scabbard and decapitated Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo. As the severed head of the insect scientist fell to the ground, followed by his lifeless body, a collective gasp of horror was heared from Vokan, Janicia, Huvnario Yr, Uad'kexk, Sasogon, Yadokarikeiri, Dakkoliam, Devapioret, Akyrot and the various minions, while Regina, Sephiroth, Insano, Lady Tremaine, Gaston and Dio Brando looked on in stunned silence. Xehanort remained expressionless, while Bosco looked like he wanted to say 'I told you so.'

"Let this be a lesson to you all," said Karlaz as she wiped bug blood from her sword and sheathed it, "obedience and loyalty, that is all I ask for, it is all dark lords and tyrants want of those whom serve them. The last thing I will tolerate is my orders questioned. The price of contradicting me; I take your fraking head," she then bent down and picked up the severed head of Xoauiuzzj m'Eossikavo.

"Just like this fraking fool right here!" she said as she held up the head of the insect scientist for everyone to see, "now, if any of you sons of bitches, got anything else to say, NOW'S THE FRAKING TIME!" she then tossed the severed head over her shoulder. It landed near a group of terrified Gormin, causing the gray goons to back away in fear and disgust.

"I didn't think so," said Karlaz, "now carry out my orders!" she then looked at Huvnario Yr, "unless there's a problem with my order, in which you may offer a reasonable argument."

"The problem, Lady Karlaz, is that we simply do not have enough explosives for both the Togormin and the ships," said the cyborg majordomo, "not even for one group."

"Is that so?" Karlaz asked as she gripped her sword handle again.

"But we can program the ships to ram the castle and self destruct on impact!" Huvnario Yr said hastily.

"And the Tohgormin can be used to round up and destroy any survivors of the explosions," said Vokan. "and then send the Gormin, Sugormin and the rest of the minions to mop things up."

"Good," said Karlaz, "make it so!"

"Okay, we need to get out of here now," said Dio Brando to his fellow villains, while the Zangyack forces carried out Karlaz's orders, "this bitch is completely out of her mind."

"We know that already," said Sephiroth, "and I agree. Staying here will only get us killed."

"Oh don't be so negative," said Insano, "we won't die, not permanently that is."

"What are you talking about now, goggle-head?" Lady Tremaine demanded.

"Oh, just a little insurance policy I engendered before we left Castle Oblivion," said Insano in a nonchalant tone.

"Please, enlighten us as to this insurance policy," said Sephiroth.

"It's quite simple actually," said Insano, "in the event one of you suffers an untimely demise, you will be brought back to life within twenty-four hours."

"How is that possible?" Lady Tremaine asked, "wait, don't tell me, 'with science,' of course."

"Naturally," said Insano. He then giggled like the maniac he was.

"Regardless, we should still leave," said Dio Brando, "the sooner we're away from that lunatic, Karlaz, the better I'll feel about my own insanity."

"She'll kill us if we try to leave!" said Gaston.

"And if we stay, we'll be destroyed by those fools in the castle," said Sephiroth.

"Perhaps," said Xehanort, "most likely we will all be destroyed. But needless to say," he then looked at Insano, "you're not the only one whom has an insurance policy."

"Then we'll stay," said Regina, "until we can be sure that Karlaz won't retaliate against us. Besides, I'm curious as to exactly how this drama will play out."

"Just remember, 'curiosity killed the cat,'" said Sephiroth.

"'But satisfaction brought him back,'" said Regina.

* * *

"Now what?" Yuffie asked as she, Selphie Ansem, Leon, Quistis, Captain Marvelous and Akashi, stood atop the tallest tower in the castle and observed, through binoculars, the Zangyack warships offloading their crew of Gormin and Sugormin, then six of the warships took off again, heading for the castle.

"If I didn't know any better," said Quistis, "I'd say that Karlaz is getting desperate."

"She's also sending those commando jerks at us," said Yuffie, "but what's her plan? They're just running towards the town."

"Oh crap!" exclaimed Leon as he looked at the incoming warships, "I think they're gonna do a _kamikaze_!"

"A suicide attack?" Akashi asked.

"She's definitely crazy enough to order one," said Captain Marvelous.

"Well, we've got to do something!" said Yuffie franticly, "shoot them down! Evaculate the castle before they crash into it! Something!"

"If we evacuate, the Tohgormin will cut us down in the streets," said Quistis, "with the help of the other mooks of course," she then indicated the masses of Gormin, Sugormin and other minions.

"Well, we can't just let them wipe us out!" said Yuffie, "if we could…"

But before she could say what she was going to say, a beam of purple light shot up from somewhere in the town and hit one of the incoming kamikaze warships, causing it to blow up in midair. Then another beam destroyed a second ship, then a third. Within seconds, the entire kamikaze taskforce had been obliterated before it ever got to the outskirts of the town.

"What the hell was that!?" Selphie exclaimed.

"I think I know," said Quistis.

"Me too," said Leon, "but…it's impossible. How can he be here?"

"He's here because I'm here," said a man whom walked out onto the balcony. He was tall in his late 20's with shoulder-length light brown hair and wore a silver jacket similar to Akashi's red SGS jacket. On his wrist was a device and in his hands was a silver, blue and black staff that had multiple features.

"Eiji!" said a surprised Akashi, "but…how?"

"I brought him here!" said Gai eagerly as he bounced onto the balcony, "Merlin and the other magic users, they said they could bring in one more of our Super Sentai sempai, I just needed to pick one out."

"And as luck would have it," said Eiji, "he picked me, just as I was wrapping up a Precious hunt on another world."

"What were you doing hunting Precious on another world?" Captain Marvelous asked.

"I was working with SeeD," said Eiji, "oh, I've a message for Squall Lionheart."

"That's me," said Leon, "let me guess, the messenger wears a cowboy hat, a brown coat and carries a lot of shotguns? Goes by the name Irvine Kinneas?"

"That's the guy," said Eiji as he took out a piece of celery and bit into it, "he asked me to tell you, and I quote; '…you're still a hero, no matter what mistakes you made. After all, you jumped out of a starship into the cold of space to save the one you love. If that ain't the makings of a hero, I don't know what is.'"

"You jumped into space?!" exclaimed Yuffie, "that's so cool!"

"Oh, I wish I could have seen that," said Gai.

"Me too," said Eiji, "now, if you'll excuse me," he then looked out towards the town proper and saw the Tohgormin swarming the streets, heading straight for the castle, "I'm ready to vanquish some minions." With that, he jumped off of the tower, landing neatly on his feet and rushed towards the oncoming Tohgormin.

"Whoa!" said an impressed Yuffie.

"No way he's human," said Selphie.

"He's not," said Gai, "not all human that is. I think I'll go help!" with that he jumped down to a lower balcony, then another and another, eventually reaching the ground and ran after Eiji.

"Where do you guys find guys like that?" Selphie asked Captain Marvelous.

"He found us, actually," said Captain Marvelous.

"And my team ran into Eiji," said Akashi, "Takaoka Eiji; half human, half Ashu demon, a natural-born exorcist, adventurer and a good friend all around."

By then the Tohgormin were almost at The Postern when Eiji ran up to them. He then held out the device on his wrist, "GoGo Changer!" he pressed a switch on the device, releasing the glass covering on it, "START UP!" he then pressed one of the buttons on it and in a flash of silver light, transformed. He now wore a gleaming Silver spandex-like armored suit similar to Bouken Red's, but this suit had red siren lights on shoulder plates and the helmet had similar siren lights and a curved spike.

At roughly the same time, Gai reached the area, instered his gold Ranger Key into his Gokai Sellular and activated it, "Gokai Change!" transforming with an X, a V and an I.

**GOKAIGER!**

"The Dazzling Adventure! Bouken Silver!"

"Gokai Silver!"

With that the two silver warriors attacked the Tohgormin, hacking, stabbing and slashing with their pole arms. The Zangyack commandos, caught unaware by the sudden appearance of the two _Senshi_, had lost their edge and began to panic as their numbers began to dwindle. Even more so when a double barrel shotgun blast took out several Tohgormin at once.

"Who's shooting?" Yuffie asked.

"That's Irvine," said Selphie.

Within two minutes, the combined efforts of Gokai Silver, Bouken Silver and the unseen Irvine had destroyed all the Tohgormin. The two silver Senshi powered down, while a man in his early 30's with dark brown hair and stubble, wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans, brown boots, a brown coat and a cowboy hat, carrying a double barrel shotgun in his hands and had a rifile slung across his shoulder, emerged from a concealed position. The three of them nodded in affirmation of a battle well fought and walked back to the castle.

They met with Captain Marvelous, Yuffie, Selphie, Quistis, Leon and Akashi outside the castle doors. "Yep," said Irvine Kinneas, "there's some mooks that won't be bothering anyone again."

"You picked a hell of a time to come back, Irvine," said Leon irately.

"Nice to see you too, Squall," said Irvine. He then nodded at Quistis and Selphie, "and you lovely ladies, did you miss me?"

"Not as much as you might think," said Selphie, "you haven't changed a bit."

"And you're too mature for your own good," said Irvine, "I miss the bubbly and carefree Selphie."

"Yeah, I kinda miss the old me too," said Selphie.

"I'm just glad you're here to help," said Quistis.

"Glad to be here," said Irvine. He then grinned widely, "just imagine, all we need to do is find Zell and Rinoa and the whole team's back together."

"Good luck tracking down Zell," said Selphie, "and I doubt Squall would want to see Rinoa any time soon."

"No I don't," said Leon irately. He then glared at Irvine, "you're not going to choke up again, are you? Like when we tried to assassinate The Sorceress."

"Please, Squall," said Irvine in a nonchalant tone, "I've had more then enough therapy to get over my stress issues." he then unsung his rifle, which turned out to be a high-powered plasma beam rifle with multiple phase settings, "just let me get Karlaz within my crosshairs and our problems are over."

"You'll get your chance sooner than you think," said Captain Marvelous, "when Karlaz hears that her latest plan was smashed, she'll want to finish us all herself. In which case, we'd better be ready for her."

"We will," said Quistis.

* * *

…**The Enemy Camp…**

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Karlaz when she heard that the kamikaze attack failed, as well as the eradication of the Tohgormin. She then beheaded the hapless Gormin whom handed the report to her.

"You keep that up, Karlaz-chan, and you'll run out of servants," said Bosco.

"Be grateful that I don't take your head, you foppish clown!" snapped Karlaz as she sheathed her sword, "I hope you're ready to get your hands dirty, because you're coming with me." She then looked at Regina, Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine, Dio Brando, Gaston, Insano and Xehanort, "and you lot. We're all going to the caste to finish this once and for all!" she then tapped her fingers against the handle of her sword, "got a problem with that?"

"None whatsoever," said Regina, while Sephiroth, Lady Tremaine, Dio Brando, Gaston and Insano shook their heads in affirmation.

"No arguments from me, Karlaz-chan," said Bosco.

"Nor do I have any arguments," said Xehanort, "but if I may make a small suggestion," he then looked at Bosco, "that trumpet of yours, it worked on Snow White and the other Princesses of that circle, but I wish to see if it would work on Renesmee Cullen and the other Princesses of Heart."

"You want me to take their powers and give them to Karlaz-chan?" Bosco asked, "no problem."

"Yes, yes that would be both pleasing and beneficial," said Karlaz. She then signaled a pair of Gormin, whim quickly returned with a pair of Sugormin, whom were carrying the case that had the stolen powers in them.

"We march to the castle!" Karlaz shouted to her followers and allies, "no prisoners will be taken save for the unspoiled Princesses of Heart! They are mine to despoil and their powers shall be claimed by me!" at that the Zangyack forces cheered loudly.

"What are you playing at, old man?" Regina asked.

"No games," said Xehanort innocently, "just curiosity, simple curiosity, nothing to be afraid of."

"With you, curiosity is something to be afraid of," said Regina.

**The end of chapter 8.**

_Next chapter comes the climatic clash between heroes and villains. Who will survive? Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you then!_


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